La Diabla Book I
by UltrraShaddow
Summary: In a medieval world, the Kingdom of Soleanna is one of the most powerful kindgoms around. Within, a faction of theives govenered by the mysterious and powerful Diabla lead an underground life.Can the Lady Devil survive? Even with the commanders after her?


**Ultrra SiK pRoDuCtIoNs pReSeNtZ: **

_*~*~*La Diabla *~*~*_

Disclaimer: I don't own any of Sega's characters….but I'd be a very happy guy if I did!

A/N: Hey chicos and chiquitas! School's out and that means its…UPDATING TIME! Enjoy this new one. It takes place in the middle ages if you couldn't guess, and this story occurs in three books. Enjoy, enjoy, yeah? :)

I have the other two parts done so...(gives a seductive look) If you review faster, I'll put the other parts up sooner...you know you wanna...

PS: This one's a Shad/Rou if you couldn't guess. (Duhz!)

**Warning: If you can't handle a sexy AND badass Rouge and Amy character, then you can kindly see your way outta this fic! :)**

Chaotic Energies:

* Ability

*** The strength of the ability

**Deceased**

Renegadas 

La Diabla~_Rouge_ ***

Scorpion_~Espio_ *

Hawkeye_~Silver_ **

Pyra_~Blaze_ *

Polka_~Amy_

Bigboy_~Big_

Angel_~Cream ?_

Buzzy_~Charmy ?_

Glow ***

Brute

Roja

Soleanna Royal Family:

Emperor Gerald ***

Maria *

Soleanna Commanders:

**Reuben ***

Shadow ?

Jet?

Knuckles?

Storm

Wave

Knothole Royal Family:

**Emperor Knothole**

**Empress Knothole**

Future Emperor Sonic ?

Tails ?

Dark Arms Cult:

**Black Doom *****

***~*~*La Diabla*~*~* (Book I)**

It was late at night and the rain was soaking. The vegetation around the emerald hills were lush and fertile with life as the ebon sky was nothing but a starless sheet with a prick of pale moon. A family of herders—a mother and her young son-were trying to herd their sheep back into the pens as the rain fell in cold droves.

The mother and child duo were stranded in the middle of their pasture, all laughter as they shielded themselves with cloths and blankets from the thick downpour. With a strong cry, the mother flourished her cane, directing the bleating sheep as they headed back to their pens.

Her young son chuckled, watching as the sheep hurriedly returned to their pens were they knew clean and sweet hay was awaiting them. Just as the flock was starting to move, one of the babies strayed off, running towards the woods.

The boy of no more than eight summers called after the sheep, "Hey! Bucky get back here!"

The child chased after the sheep, ignoring the cries of his mother to stay near home. He tore through the trees, laughing and grinning as he followed the little ewe. As he darted through the trees, every now and then he would catch a white flash, just the last trace of the ewe's hind legs.

Then, as he traveled around one last clearing he found the young ewe, nibbling away happily on a chewy green leaflet. The young herder grinned, quickly picking up the baby ewe and smiled triumphantly, as she bleated gloomily "There, see Bucky? That's not so bad, now is it, girl? You're gonna go back to your mommy and daddy. Mom's gonna be mad at ya! Its dangerous wandering alone here."

"…I could say the same thing about you too kid."

The little herder gasped, feeling something cold and metallic right against his neck. The boy gulped, eyes wide as the weapon that was pressed against his neck was cool to the touch. The bushes scuffled and two hedgehogs appeared, grinning at him almost merrily, although there was no true humor in their eyes or smile.

The first hedgehog had pale, bleached-white fur and the other was a deep blue. The blue hedgehog held the knife against the young boy's neck, grinning as he watched his captive tremble. The white hedgehog chuckled and he bent forward to glance at the boy, " Okay there sunny, if you do as we say, we won't hurt you. Now, here's what going to happen, it's—"

"Ezra? Ezra? Where you are?"

The young herder gasped, recognizing the sound of his mother's approaching voice. The boy bit his lip as he could hear her nearing footsteps; mentally he tried to will her away from the danger awaiting her.

"Ezra? Ezra? Its dark out there! I hope you brought a lantern."

After weighing between danger and his mothers' safety, Ezra quickly shouted, "Mom! Run away! Its not safe! It's not-"

One of the hedgehogs quickly silenced him with a furious blow to the face. With a cry Ezra fell to the floor, his nose burning as he felt blood drip down his face. The men paused as the mother of the young fox slowed to a halt before the two criminals. She gasped, seeing her son balled upon on the earthen, muddy floor.

Just as she rushed towards him, the men grabbed her son by the scruff of his neck and brandished a thick blade against his throat. With the blade's angle, the weapon gleamed ominously in the lantern light she gasped, panic starting to interlace into her being, "No! Please, let my son alone!"

"If you hurry back in enough time, we won't hurt this kid. Hell, lady you can even save us a trip from going into your damn house," the hedgehog with the bright blue eyes suddenly picked the boy up by the scruff of his collar, "Bring back all your gold, and if you don't have enough coin, I'll slice his throat so far he'll have a second mouth."

The vixen nodded her head mutely and hurriedly she took off, quickly heading for the house. The two thugs smirked, deciding they liked this newfound power they had and decided to follow her into the house. They entered the wooden cottage noticing the nice, homey feel this place had.

The vixen took a knee as she scrunched under her bed, and her shaking, nervous fingers clutched at a box. She slowly pulled a small, silver box from her floor and within the cool light of the oil lamp sitting beside her bed, the silver box glowed like the surface of the moon.

She slowly popped the box open with an accompanying creek as it unhinged. Her eyes grew dull as she studied the contents within her small box. Inside where gleaming coins of silver and gold—a year's worth of her earnings. She sighed softly, knowing how much they really needed a new fence around the house, or more wood to fix the unhinging front door.

She rose to her feet and narrowed her eyes; well, her son was more important than any of those things they needed to have fixed. She smoothed her hand over the silver box and clasped it closely to her chest. With a few breaths to give her strength, she opened her bedroom door and stepped forth.

However the second she appeared from out of the room, the white hedgehog thief appeared from behind and grabbed her by the back of her head, yanking her scalp backwards for all it was worth. She screamed as her life savings dropped to the floor in a clatter of paper and gold.

"Mom!" the boy called out, struggling against the captor, but a rough hand was raised and cuffed him across the face, hitting the boy hard enough that he was seeing stars.

"Ezra!" she screamed, "Please let him go! There's my money, take what you need and be gone you thieves!"

"This just isn't enough," the white hedgehog whispered, as if thinking, "In fact its rather insulting. We were better off not even coming to this place then. We're going to need more out of you lady. That is, unless you want that little bastard to get the cruel edge of that blade."

The vixen's dark eyes went wide, "Please, just take the money and be gone…please."

The white hedgehog's eyes narrowed as he smiled darkly, "Be gone, huh?"

The grip on her arm was released, and she suddenly found herself face down, with the dirt of his muddy boot crushing down upon her skull. The vixen wailed out shrilly in horrid pain as her young son began to cry, "Giving us orders you little whore? And what makes you think that I won't carve this knife into your back?"

The blue hedgehog laughed, beginning to choke the child in an attempt to silence him, but the boy wouldn't quiet down without knowing his mother was okay. The vixen began to sob as she heard the sounds of her captives hurting her child.

_"La Diabla strikes…"_

The two hedgehogs paused at the sound of the deep voice. They scanned around the room and saw no one else present, but then where had that voice come from? Just as the white hedgehog was unloosing his grip upon the vixen, a cloaked figure suddenly materialized beside him.

Startled, the white hedgehog jumped as the cloaked figured curled a free palm into a fist. The tiny fist began to suddenly blaze an intense red, as if on fire and the cloaked figure slammed the said hand into the hedgehog's face.

The violent cracking reassured that the white hedgehog's face had been broken in. The intruder couldn't even utter a noise before the cloaked creature finished him off with a thunderous kick to the ribs. The vixen watched in a mixture of awe and horror as the twisted, limp form of the thief hit the down in a motionless heap.

The blue hedgehog who had witnessed his partner's quick death backed away, holding the boy out as if using him as a shield to keep the cloaked person away from him. The mysterious hero slowly turned to face him, with a deep voice it spoke, "Look at you, hiding behind that child. You're no more of a man than a vulture is an eagle."

"Why don't you show me your face you coward, you've seen mine so its only fair, yeah? What kind of man hides his face, least he is an ugly one," the thief put on bravado, a false show of courage.

The figure seemed to contemplate his words and slowly lowered the hood, "What kind of _man_ you say? Those who see my face will see death seconds afterwards."

With a quick tug, the hood fell to reveal the face of a young white bat. A layer of confusion appeared on the hedgehog's face as he wondered how a woman, how such a beautiful woman could have such monstrous strength. The crown of her head barley reached his shoulder; she couldn't have been any taller than the vixen being held captive.

The thief glanced down at his fallen comrade and silently heaved down the heavy lump in his throat. The white hedgehog's body was crumpled like wadded-up, discarded parchment as his limbs were twisted in an unnatural fashion.

What was unnatural was how that bat, _that girl_ who barely looked old enough to be an adult, had managed to unleash that monstrosity of power against his partner. The blue hedgehog's mind went into overdrive, trying to think of anything to quell the rage of the white bat who obviously had some unnatural power.

He swore he saw her hands glow. Glowing hands, that meant…

"…Chaotic energy," he breathed in awe.

"You have the nerve to call _me_ the coward?" she spat, and although she was mad, she didn't raise her voice from the low purr it was, "I do not break into the house of herders, and I do not harm mothers and young children and I do not use children as my shields for safety you pathetic, _worthless bastard_!"

"It…it is you, La Diabla," the vixen breathed in awe, no longer fearing for the life of her child or for herself, "You…do exist…"

"Yes, its I. Don't worry everything will be okay Margo, I actually came by to purchase a new winter coat. Your wool makes the softest coats and just when I came to ask your price, here I find this filth." the white bat gave a soft smile at the woman, "but tell your son to cover his eyes, he does not need to see this."

"Ezra, close your eyes, and don't open them no matter what, okay? Listen to mommy and La Diabla okay?"

The young fox nodded his head and quickly squeezed his eyes closed, and the second he did, La Diabla's expression became absolutely murderous. As the last hedgehog studied her with a silent awe, the bat narrowed her eyes and clenched her fists.

Both of her clenched, shaking fists suddenly began to glow a bloodthirsty shade of red and only this time, the hedgehog noticed that her teal-blue eyes morphed into the same shade of red. Margo watched in fascination, "…Chaotic energy…"

Then he heard the last words of his life, "_La Diabla strikes…_"

* * *

The kingdom of Soleanna, the kingdom of fire was a brilliant place. Although it had four seasons, summer was always its most special: this was the time when the moon would be full and blood red like a ruby jewel, also vegetation, flowers and plants bloomed beautifully and the weather was always the warmest.

The overseer of the fair kingdom was the Emperor Gerald, who was a wise and just ruler. He always tried to invest in the good of his people and always tried to keep taxes at a responsible cost. But over the last five years, ever since the war against the Dark Arms, a cult lead by a fearless leader who called himself Black Doom, Soleanna had changed vastly.

Because of that long, bloody war many children were orphaned of their fathers; the Emperor himself had lost his only son to that war meaning that his only living heir to the throne was his granddaughter Maria.

The Dark Arms used a terrible force, a power that Soleanna's army had never encountered before. It was later named Chaotic energy and it had a massive destructive power. This brightly colored energy had enough strength to break through the strongest of armors, woods and steels.

Those who could use this terrible energy had monstrous strength where bare fists could smash through rock as if it were no chore at all. These monsters could lift even the heaviest of steels and metals as if they weighed nothing at all; the power of this mysterious Chaotic energy was a terrible thing.

By the power of Soleanna's grand imperial army all the Dark arms monsters had been driven out with the strength of its commanders. The emperor had four powerful riders, commanders that were well known for their immense strength.

The Rider of Blue was the commander Knuckles the Echidna, a thoughtful, laidback type of character. As a man of immense strength it didn't take much for the commander to gain the respect of subordinates and peers alike. The Rider of Blue, although a slightly serious character, was very well known for his sense of humor. Even when he trained his soldiers, every now and then his humor would leak out.

The next commander, Rider of Green, was named Jet the Hawk. It was debatable whether this commander was more notorious for his lightning-fast combat skills or his terribly short temper. Commander Jet was an extremely proud, vocal man who never had a problem expressing exactly what was on his mind. And although at times he could give into his temper like any fool, the Rider of Green was an extremely clever, calculative man.

The third commander and Rider of Gold was Reuben Redfield, a charismatic commander who smiled almost as much as he laughed. A very different turn from the other young commanders, Reuben was a few years older—old enough to be their father's age. Unlike the other two commanders who seemed thrilled at the aspect of being challenged in war, Reuben hated it.

He was a married man, and never saw the importance of war; he had a family to return to after all. However when Reuben took up arms, he was one of the most powerful men in Soleanna because he believed in defending and fighting for what he loved.

The last commander and Rider of Red was a hedgehog named Shadow. Of Gerald's Four Riders, Shadow was the most talked about. Maybe it was because Commander Shadow was extremely reclusive and rarely dabbled any place outside of the Soleanna palace or maybe it was because he was a strapping, tall, good-looking guy with a deep, melting voice.

But regardless, Commander Shadow was definitely a favorite subject of gossip among the people. Although there was no question that Commander Shadow was legendary for being extremely staid and was someone that no one in their right mind wished to cross. Because of his immense aura of power and strength he seemed to exude, the commander had the ability to silence his soldiers by just glancing at them.

The war against the Dark Arms cult had been terribly hard against the Four Riders. Reuben had been twenty nine summers as Knuckles, Jet and Shadow had been nothing older than fourteen summers at the time of the war. The war commanders were hardened early, learning about the horror of war, death, violence and blood shed.

By the end of the war, the Dark Arm soldiers had been defeated, unfortunately at the cost of one of the four riders. Reuben Redfield had fallen in battle. Because of the monstrosities of Chaotic Energy, Emperor Gerald had created a severe law against it.

Any an all usage of Chaotic energy was forbidden and if a person was found using this energy they were to be detained immediately and tried before the Emperor himself. …

"Still reading those old scrolls again are you, Tails?"

The young pup jumped, blinking as he broke out of his trance. Tails turned toward his friend and prince, Sonic the Hedgehog. The blue hedgehog was dressed in his finest royal attire: a deep blue tunic, golden cape and a matching golden crown upon his head.

The young prince smiled as Tails spoke, "Oh Sonic, you know how I love to read! All these stories are so interesting and they're pieces of our history as well!"

The prince scoffed, rolling his eyes at his servant, "Nonsense, you're reading about that damn Shadow again huh? Our royal libraries have tons of documents about yours truly, why don't you read any of them about me?"

Tails glanced at him with half-lidded eyes, "Sonic, for like all my life I've been learning about _your _life! Its all the Knothole kingdom preaches about!"

"And don't you forget it lil' bud," Sonic reached a hand out and ruffled Tails head, ignoring the young fox's indignant yelps. The prince stuck his head out of the carriage to yell at the driver, "Hey! Are we almost at the Soleanna palace! I'm frickin' starving!"

"Almost princey," Vector, the driver had yelled back at him, "Keep your britches on sir!"

The prince popped his head back in the carriage and groaned; sometimes he just didn't understand the etiquette of being royalty. He could have easily ran to Soleanna in maybe five minutes tops, but because he had to be a good representative for the royal family of Knothole, he would have to do things the un-fun way.

Why he had to be all 'princely' he didn't understand why. Who was he trying to impress? The Emperor of Soleanna was the closest of friends with the Emperor of Knothole and even Sonic had a strong relationship with Emperor Gerald, who was like a grandfather to him, and Sonic was the best of friends with his knights. Sonic had nearly grew up being raised in the Soleanna place.

Every Summer Prince Sonic had went to visit the Emperor and by now they were more than the closest of friends, they were more like family. These damn stiff formalities were highly unnecessary.

"Approaching the royal Soleannan Palace!" Vector's voice boomed.

Sonic glanced out the window and grinned, watching as their carriage passed through the heart of what looked to be a marketplace. The commoners were going about their business, bargaining for the best prices and selling their products.

As the commoners heard the sounds of a carriage, their heads were on a swivel as they watched, trying to study the royal insignia upon the carriage's side. Women gathered in clumps as they whispered hushed words behind their hands and men crowded around, watching as the finely polished royal carriage floated through their town.

Sonic watched in awe, as the poorer, cottages began to fade from sight and tall, beautiful structures began to pop up, even the people looked better. The carriage had just entered the west side of Soleanna's main plaza where the upper class citizens lived. There was even a large water fountain on this side of town.

There was much less hustle and bustle here and all the people appeared much more well groomed and presentable. The women trotted around in big, bright dresses and shielded themselves from the sun with their large lacy umbrellas as the men were dressed in clean suits.

Crowds parted easily as the royal carriage floated through town, leaving behind crowds of onlookers and curious bystanders. Just as the prince's carriage was halfway through town, Vector pulled the reigns and slowed the horses to a trot and finally to a stop.

Before them was a group of heavily armored soldiers. The most decorated solider, with black armor in blue guilding stepped forward, his long azure cape trailing his steps. The red echidna stopped before carriage and smiled softly as the light made his amethyst eyes shine warmly, "Welcome to the Kingdom of Soleanna, I am the Emperor's commander and we would both like to welcome you to our wonderful kingdom. Please follow us, my lord awaits us."

"Yes of course," Vector smiled as the commander nodded his head, "please lead the way milord."

With a wave of his arm, Knuckles signaled the carriage to follow him. As the royal carriage traveled, the Soleanna soldiers split into two teams as half traveled on the left and the rest of the soldiers went to the right side. Tails glanced out of the window, watching the soldiers with a renewed interest. He dropped the red curtains and gleefully turned to Sonic.

"Sonic! Was that_ the _great Commander Knuckles!" Tails whispered excitedly, "the man who has the strength of twelve incensed ox!"

"Yep, that's him," Sonic smirked, "And remember, when we're in court ya gotta turn those stuffy formalities on, yeah?"

"Oh of course Sonic!"

The prince raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. Tails blushed hard, "I-I-I mean, of course my p-prince."

The blue hedgehog chortled, "Hey I'm kidding bud! We ain't gotta start that rubbish yet. Just only in the courts."

Tails grinned sheepishly as he rolled up the last of the scrolls and tucked them back into storage box they had brought along. Apparently the Emperor Gerald himself was an avid reader and when the Knothole kingdom had received word of this, they were more than happy to send him some of their finer literature.

The young fox grinned, smiling in amazement as they passed through the pathway in the garden. The tall bushes provided a maze, which not only served to heighten the mystery and majesty of the Soleanna castle but also as a mechanism of defense. The commander trailed through the maze with no problem at all, as if he had done this a million times over.

With one last left turn they had completed the maze and were now faced with the vast Soleanna palace. The graceful architecture of the building was made completely of polished black marble as slender, long pillars and beams gracefully held the structure of the building. The Soleanna palace stood out boldly against the bright blue sky, its polished, dark exterior only adding to its air of mystery and beauty.

At the sight of an arriving carriage, ladies and gents of the courts huddled around the entry to observe the newcomer. The gents spoke to each other in low voices, as the ladies of the court tittered and gossiped behind their fans, eyes alert and round. All were curious as to who would be joining them together in court.

"Well , looks like its showtime," Vector muttered to himself.

Vector quickly removed himself from his post and went to open the door for his prince. The crocodile bowed his head as the blue hedgehog slowly stepped out of the carriage. The friendly informalities were now gone as they were all being scrutinized by the ladies and gents of the Soleanna court.

The people of the court were very well known for either augmenting or tarnishing the reputations of royal families. Somehow their gossip spread through every edge of the kingdom and it was a powerful thing. Most royal families found that they wanted the people of the court of their side, spreading good things about their name instead of shredding it into pieces.

The crocodile bowed as low as he could as Prince Sonic exited the carriage. A resounding gasp swept through the ladies of the court as they immediately began to gossip happily and chirp about the arrival of the new prince.

"Why it is Prince Sonic again!"

"Oh how wondrous! Its Prince Sonic!"

"I have visited the Knothole kingdom once and it is such a beautiful country!"

"Such a fine man that Prince is!"

Sonic grinned lightly and nodded to Vector as he stepped out and headed toward Knuckles. The Soleanna guards all inclined their heads respectfully as Sonic approached. The Commander chuckled softly at the slightly uncomfortable look that appeared on the prince's face.

Knuckles grinned as he quickly signaled his men back into their own stances, "Your majesty would you please accompany me to the throne room? The Emperor awaits you."

"Yes yes of course," Sonic beamed, "you do not object if I wish to bring my own guards, do you commander?"

This was his best friend of five summers, both Knuckles and Sonic knew that there was no need for protection, but since the court was watching and it was procedure, it had to be said and done. "Absolutely not," Knuckles watched as the Knothole guards stepped beside the prince, "now please attend me Prince Sonic."

Prince Sonic followed the guards up the flight of obsidian marble stairs and past the ladies of court. At the sound of their giggles, Sonic turned to glance at them and smiled. The fair women were in the brightest and laciest dresses as their soft perfume was light and refreshing.

The prince gave a wink in their direction and the women giggled and cooed happily, fanning themselves as they blushed prettily. After both parties had entered the great castle, the ladies of court followed at a safe distance, muttering softly, wondering how such a handsome and endearing prince was still unmarried!

The large door burst open, and a green hawk appeared. As the Rider of Green, the base of his armor was black, with green trimming and cape. With his warriors behind him, Jet grinned, "Ah, Prince Sonic what a pleasure it is to see you!"

Jet and his men all bowed as Sonic approached them smiling, "Its quite the pleasure to see you again, Commander Jet."

"As it is mine. I believe you already know my two lieutenants, Lord Storm and Lady Wave," Jet slipped to the side to reveal his second-in-commands.

Storm was a large, stalwart gray bird with bright yellow eyes and large fists. He grinned widely and bowed to the prince. The next person Jet motioned to was a small, slender swallow. She wore a green bandana that matched her armor and she had a pair of the prettiest eyes Sonic had seen.

A smile curved on her beak and she bowed reverently. Sonic nearly quirked an eyebrow at the sight of a woman in armor; if she was efficient enough to be a lieutenant, what was her skill or what was her talent that made her so invaluable?

From the corner of her eyes, Wave shot the ladies of the court seething, dirty looks; giggly air-headed women like them shouldn't even be allowed in court. While Wave was the first female lieutenant promoted by her own merit, these women only seemed to hurt her cause.

Storm had caught her quick look, chuckling softly to himself as he knew the thoughts of his fellow lieutenant. Jet smiled, "Shall we proceed your majesty? The emperor is awaiting your presence in court."

"Yes of course, please lead me."

Sonic grinned as yet again he traveled through the dark marble halls of the Soleanna castle. The Soleanna royal family had always had a fascination and a love for fire; the proof of their infatuation with fire was in the middle of the lobby. An ebon fountain, carved in the intricate shape of a phoenix breathed a cascade of bright flames, which danced in a tall, smooth arch.

Tails gasped happily, admiring the beautiful art of the palace. Then there were torches of fire that lead a pathway toward the main throne room as the plush white carpet felt good under the princes' boots. If the prince could chose a second home, it would have to be this wondrous palace.

He could never get enough of the floral aroma that just seemed to be a part of the place. The décor in the palace came in either of one of two colors: the extremes of black and white. Bouquets of white roses lined the floor as tame fires heated the large rooms pleasantly.

Oil paintings of the Soleanna royalty lined the walls in chronological order, holding a timeline for the rulers of the mighty kingdom. The further one traveled down the long hallway, the longer they progressed through time, and closer to the current ruler.

Sonic smiled as he studied each passing portrait with a fine interest, trying to remember all the rulers he had been told about. The prince knew they were near the throne room as soon as he saw the oil painting of the latest emperor. It was a portrait of the Emperor Gerald as a young man.

"Ready your majesty?" Knuckles asked, his voice a deep, yet friendly purr.

"At your ready," Jett stated, smirking at Sonic.

"Yes, go ahead Commanders," Sonic grinned.

Knuckles threw the large marble door open and quickly entered the throne room, with the door being open, Sonic's senses were suddenly submerged by the warm scent of jasmine; the only people in Soleanna who were allowed to smell of jasmine were the royal family.

The long stroll to the throne was decorated beautifully. The ostentatious room was divided into two halves, with one side of the throne room encrypted in black and the other side of the room was emblazoned in white.

Emperor Gerald's throne was stationed where the two opposite colors commingled, no longer divided but into one entity. Beside his throne, two carved phoenixes—black and white respectively—were frozen, both crying to the sky with the length of their great wingspan revealed.

Both commanders strolled into the great throne room as the crowd began to quiet down. Both warriors took a knee before the throne and pressed a fist to their chests. Knuckles glanced up at the Emperor's large red velvet throne, "Your majesty, Prince Sonic of Knothole kingdom has arrived."

An excited clamor buzzed through the courts as men and women whispered fervently to one another. When the emperor raised his hand, all sound hushed away, "Invite him in," the cool tenor of the emperor carried through the ostentatious room.

The prince stepped toward the warm chamber were an even greater fountain of fire was before the throne. Sonic wiped away the newly forming sweat at the heat of the new room; it was rumored that the royal family of Soleanna were masters of fire and had skin that was impervious both to its heat and burn. It was like a furnace in here, and yet the Soleanna royalty looked completely composed.

The prince noticed that even some of the Soleanna guards were beginning to sweat. With a soft curse, Storm chased away the sweat from his head with an impatient hand and Wave had far too much pride to bother. Knuckles stepped forward, "Emperor, here is Prince Sonic."

The prince stepped forward with a large grin upon his face, "Long time no see, Emperor Gerald. How have you been sir?"

The graying hedgehog smiled, his dark eyes glinting warmly, "I am perfectly well young prince. I welcome you to the great palace of Soleanna yet again. Your visits bring me joy, my child. Every time I see you, you look more and more like your father, God rest his soul."

Sonic chuckled and turned his attention to the person sitting in a smaller throne beside the emperor. The prince bowed, "And it is certainly a privilege to see you, fair lady Maria."

"Thank you prince Sonic."

A soft-spoken hedgehog with pale yellow fur and bright blue eyes smiled. She wore a deep, brooding red dress and golden gauntlets and bracelets. A small tiara sat in the middle of her forehead, bejewled with rubies and garnets. Her ruby-red lips slowly spread into a smile; the princess of Soleanna was beautiful and patient.

After she curtsied, she sat down in her throne and once again took hold of her grandfather's hand, stroking it softly. The emperor himself nodded his head, "After a day's travel you must be famished and tired. I shall have my servants show you around to your room. Until then, you are free to travel around my castle as you please. I am a busy man, and I know that you wish to see your friend. But I would like to have your audience at supper, there is much we should discuss my child."

The prince bowed, "Yes milord, that would be splendid. As long as the lovely lady Maria does not mind…?"

Maria giggled daintily into the palm of her hand, "Oh certainly not milord! Please hurry and catch up with the commander!"

With a grin Sonic strolled out of the throne room after presenting a bow to the emperor. The prince strolled into the hallway and glanced around. His green eyes stopped on the figure of his friend and he grinned, "Well, well…"

Standing in his polished, black armor with a red trimming and a red cape was the commander. He had dark fur and striking red eyes that were both light and dark in the same setting. He was one of the four riders of Soleanna, he was Shadow the Hedgehog.

With a grin they both bowed deeply before they fell into step with each other. Shadow approached and took a knee, which made Sonic twitch, "Dude, Shadow please don't do that."

The stolid hedgehog broke into a laugh as he rose to his feet. Sonic rolled his eyes and chuckled, "…Idiot, you know how much that bothers me."

"I know, that's why I do it," Shadow smirked mischievously.

They both began to walk down the hall together, catching up on all the time they had spent apart. It basically sounded as if over the last summer, Sonic was being trained for his coronation. He had laws, etiquettes, various languages, and history strolls he had to spend all day memorizing. Then of course, the young prince was being introduced to dozens of beautiful ladies of different kingdoms in hope for a potential queen.

Shadow chuckled, shaking his head good-naturedly; it really was going to happen, someday soon his blue buffoon of a friend would have his rear on a throne. While Shadow and Sonic had a brotherly rivalry, no sour feelings extended behind it. Whatever they competed in, it was more of a fun challenge where they both pushed each other to their limits

The Commander chuckled as he glanced over at his friend, who was happily jabbering away. The day Sonic was crowned as king, Shadow hoped he'd be allowed to travel to Knothole to see it—or he hoped to get the hell away as far as possible. Although he was pretty sure Sonic would send an invitation that would all but order him to be there.

Although one was a prince and the other-a commoner turned commander-they walked through the halls together as friends. They traversed into a courtyard where a flock of court ladies sat in the gardens admiring the flowers. As they passed by the ladies, a flood of giggles and whispers filled the air.

Being the lady-lover that he was, Sonic grinned, turning to look at the young, beautiful women. In a flurry of bright dresses of all colors, the ladies giggled and hid their faces behind their faces coyly, batting their lashes at him.

Just as Sonic was about to look away, one of them caught his eye, making him do a double take. A little ways in the back, one of the ladies of the court was wearing brown boots under her beige dress. _Boots?_ The prince frowned slightly; ladies were to wear heels, what was this one doing wearing something as plain as those?

When he studied her a bit harder, he saw how plain her beige dress was compared to the other ladies; it had no ruffles or lace on it like all the other women. The hedgehog had soft pink fur and rather short quills for a female. Her electric green eyes held no sign of reverence or adoration like the other women, her eyes were clear and sharp, somehow not sentimentally clouded-over at all.

She blinked when she realized the prince was staring at her and she slowly raised her fan, shielding her face in a coy gesture. As he left the hall, he couldn't remove his eyes off of her, and neither would she relent her gaze upon him.

Once they had left the room, Sonic blinked; what a rather odd encounter that was. She was rather…intense? Weren't women supposed to be demure and shy? But that woman, she stared him down! If anything, her stare might have been a bit hostile and-

"Something got your attention back there Sonic?" the commander asked with a sly voice.

Sonic snorted, rolling his eyes, "Ha! You wish Shad."

The two climbed a spiral of stairs until they were over at the emperor's personal balcony; there were no snoopy on-lookers, or any unwanted pair of ears. The formalities had dropped quickly as Sonic was now talking to Shadow, and not one of the four riders of Soleanna. This was his friend yet again.

"Well you certainly had your head craned around long enough," Shadow smirked, crossing his arms and leaning against the banister.

"Hey," Sonic growled playfully, "just because I'm in your house doesn't mean that I won't kick your ass!"

"Like always, you're nothing but hot air and blue quills, Sonic."

"Just please put shut to the up Shad! And do something about that damn palace of yours! Its like 200 degrees in there! I thought I was going to fry!"

With a sigh, Sonic walked past Shadow and glanced out over the balcony. The complete landscape of Soleanna was beheld before him. He could oversee everything: the green hills, the large homes, the purple mountains and even where the ocean and the sea entwined and brought forth the horizon. The sun was the all-powerful torch in the sky as its bright light spilt over the surface of all land.

"Well, tough luck," Shadow smirked, "Soleanna _is_ known as the kingdom of fire."

Shadow strolled beside Sonic and glanced over and into the horizon. As Sonic oohed and awed over the beautiful landscape, happily pointing out any famous landmarks, Shadow crossed his arms and focused on nothing. Then silence settled over them and the stillness was amiable as the two friends rested in each other's company.

* * *

"If we're going to strike, now is the time."

In an underground hideout that was nothing more than a large, dug-out cellar, a pink hedgehog with green eyes stepped forward in the hidden lair. Her name was Amy Rose, a child who had been orphaned by the war against the Dark Arms Cult. She was barely fourteen summers but with such a life filled with sorrow and hardship, the girl learned how to manage like an adult.

Although she was still chirpy and childlike, the young hedgehog knew how to turn on a cold heart and a calculative mind if the situation ever called for it. But when she was home—yes home in their dimly light cellar-she could revert back to her rightful childlike, budding adolescent mannerisms.

"Would it really be wise now?" the soft voice of Espio caressed the dark cellar.

Like Amy, most of them ended up joining the Renegadas by being orphans from that war. Cream and Charmy had been taken in from the streets directly and ever since, both of the children were inseparable. By joining the cause of the underground resistance, they were given a place to stay-albeit it wasn't much more than an under ground cavern, but it was a warm, dry place to rest.

Also they had some semblance of a makeshift family. With the oldest member being the purple chameleon himself and a some what head of the household. It was a known fact with the others that Espio was rather hesitant to talk about his reckless past, a secret that was known between him and Rouge only.

When Silver and his telepathic abilities came along, Rouge had him swear up and down to keep Espio's past a secret. Although between both the occasional furtive looks Silver would give the quiet warrior, and the rare jibes Espio would make about his past, the Renegadas knew that somethings were better left alone.

Whatever mistakes he had made in his dark past, no one was to ask unless Espio decided to tell them personally. But the awful scars along his arms, and the way his golden eyes grew acerbic when he was thinking, there were times when the Renegadas wished they knew what Espio had been through.

The said chameleon himself moved a chess piece on the wooden board as his opponent, Silver smirked tauntingly, "You sure you wanna go there?"

"Yes…"

"Really? Even if I could-?"

"I don't care how many moves you could checkmate me in, you telepathic freak," Silver burst out in guffaws as Espio smirked, "just play the game."

"Hehe okay."

"You're going to regret that," Blaze said, her honey eyes glued on Espio as her tail moved behind her lazily.

Silver moved the piece across the board and grinned impishly; another interesting story within the Renegadas was how Silver had ended up joining them. Unlike Espio, the golden-eyed hedgehog was more than open with his past.

Surprisingly, in his past Silver had been a royal himself, the son of a duke of a dukedom called the Mystic Zone. He lived the privileged, wealthy life that came with being a child of royal blood. As the son of a duke, Silver had everything that his heart desired, although most of the time he spent his time reading and cultivating his mind.

By his fourteenth birthday his father was deciding who his heir to the throne would be, with the possible candidates being his son and his nephew, Manic. The duke studied their personalities and their general character for his deciding factor.

The duke saw that his son was a vastly intelligent young lad who had a pure heart and would make a fair ruler. Manic on the other hand was more cunning instead of book smart and his nephew was persuasive and saw that he reached his ends with no regards to the means by which he got there.

If Manic had to step on a few backs to get to the throne, then so be it. The duke named Silver as the rightful heir to the throne, until Manic interjected and exposed his cousin as a 'freak with glowing eyes.' When the king learned of his son's abnormal telepathic powers, with a heavy heart he had to give the throne over to his nephew.

With his new power Manic had gleefully banished Silver from his home kingdom, making sure he could take none of his wealth with him. Silver traveled aimlessly with no direction after being banned from his homeland, and while he made his journey to who-knows-where, he ran into a purple-cat named Blaze at a tavern.

Silver ended finding out that like he, Blaze was a royal an ex-princess who had purposely left her kingdom behind because of an awful arranged marriage. She took whatever would fit in her knapsack and ran without looking back.

It was in little time that the two realized they had much in common and built a friendship. The two of them even decided to travel together and wound up in Soleanna where they ended up joining the Renegadas.

With a snicker Silver moved a rook and grinned devilishly, "Checkmate in five."

"Five?" Amy piped curiously as she bent over his shoulder to watch the game going on.

"Yes five, my sweet little pink chiffon," Silver grinned, "Five being the optimum amount of moves he can make before he loses!"

Espio squinted an eye at him as Silver grinned gleefully, "You know what? I bet your parents hate you. A lot. And I bet they dropped you a lot as a baby."

"Yeah that would explain why Silv's so weird," a smirking white bat with aquamarine eyes grinned and Silver frowned, " By the way, what did you find out today Amy? And by the way, nice dress. Blaze outdid herself; that dress looks good with your complexion."

"Dress…?" Amy blinked suddenly looking down at her threads.

The pink hedgehog blushed heavily, ignoring the laughs of her fellow members. In one quick motion she lifted the garment over her head and discarded it onto the dusty floor. Underneath she wore a black tunic, and dark loose pants. She quickly picked up her blood red scarf and wrapped it snuggly against her neck; this was their uniform that all members wore.

Blaze frowned playfully, leaning back in her seat, "Hey, do you know how long it took me to steal a dress that looked good on you? Pink fur doesn't go with a lot of things, Amy."

Amy stuck out her tongue, "Go jump offa bridge kitty!"

"Kitty's got claws pinky…better watch out…"

The white hedgehog cleared his throat as he spoke, "Excuse me ladies, but may we stay on task here? I believe the lovely mademoiselle Rouge asked you a question."

"Can it brains," Blaze groaned, rolling her eyes.

Amy and Cream giggled as Silver frowned, "That's mister brains to you Blaze! And Amy! How dare you encourage this type of behavior from Blaze!"

"Silver!" Amy laughed, "Stop taking things so personally! I'll detail you guys when dinner gets here Rouge. Ugh, I'm starving!"

"I am not!" his voice almost broke.

The sound of a giant thump sounded and had the second-hand furniture in the room rattle. A purple cat came from the opening and walked over to their rickety table. In the soft candle light his dark fur was an indigo. The cat was carrying a large sac under strewn over his back and with little care he dumped the contents onto the table.

Big looked at them all and grinned, "Hello there!"

The gigantic purple cat used to be a strong, lefty lumberjack. He was strong and never tired and could nearly work for three days straight if he so chose to do so. It was known that Big was one of the best lumberjacks around, to the point where managers begged him to come work for them.

He was nearly of legendary status until one day in the woods one of his fellow lumberjacks had an accident. The big-hearted cat always operated with his heart before his head and he ended up saving the life of the lumberjack, but at the cost of his best arm. Ever since that day Big didn't have motor skills in his strong arm; he could barely move it as is and there was no way he could hold an axe.

That was the end of Big's career as a lumberjack and if Rouge hadn't had propositioned him with joining the Renegadas, he would still be out of the streets day. Being nothing more than a lowly beggar.

Big stepped away as the others piled around the table of food. The group of rebels gasped as hunks of breads, biscuits and thin slices of meat poured onto the table with various silverware and plates. The cat grinned happily, "Dinner's here."

No one waited a second longer and soon there was a scramble to get the biggest bread and the thickest hunks of meat. Blaze and Amy both grabbed the same slice of bread and growled predatorily at each other as Espio simply waited for those to finish duking out so he could get his chance at dinner.

Cream was already happily munching into a buttery croissant which she had split with Charmy. Rouge sighed, seeing that neither Amy or Blaze would relent their fighting, and it was starting to become annoying, "…Silver?"

The white hedgehog chuckled as a smirk came to his face. Already his golden eyes were beginning to glow a light shade of blue, "My pleasure, Miss Rouge."

Both girls gasped as they were suddenly lifted off of the ground and held in the air by an invisible hand. For a moment they both tried to struggle within Silver's psychic hold, but they both knew that in the end, it was a useless fight.

"Well," Rouge grinned up at both of them as Silver continued to beam at them, "Since you two can't get along, then you'll both have to wait until everyone else finishes before you eat."

"Aww…"

"Damn…"

Espio calmly walked over to the table, picked a few slices of bread and meat then headed back to his spot at the table, munching quietly. Big had started to eat too as Rouge happened to take the slice off bread both of the girls had been fighting over. Amy groaned as Blaze narrowed her eyes.

"Now," Rouge said through a mouth full of bread, "Will you two cut it out and behave yourselves?"

"…Yes…" they both groaned.

With a sharp glanced from Rouge, Silver cut his power and both girls were placed down gently. Both girls got the foods they needed and began to chew in silence. Everything was quiet except for the occasional slurps of their lukewarm water.

The white bat glanced at Amy, "So what did you discover?"

The rosette hedgehog smiled and in the dim candle light, her green eyes flashed mischievously, "Oh we've got high-ranking guests present. The prince from the Knothole kingdom is in town."

"Hear that Silver?" Blaze asked with a smirk on her face, "another royal's in town. Did you ever meet that guy?"

As Silver chomped on his meal, he glanced at the dirt ceiling thoughtfully. The purple cat couldn't help but smirk at his thoughtful gesture; it was cute, "Hmm. What was his name again? Maybe. I'd have to see what he looked like again. I'm bad with names, but I never forget faces."

With a light blush, the Silver hedgehog shyly glanced across the table and over at Rouge, "And if I'm not too bold to say so, but the first time I saw you, lady Rouge, I knew I don't forget yours."

Rouge smirked, "Aww, thanks Silv!"

"Mr. Silver's such a gentleman!" Cream chirped.

"Yeah? I can be too!" Charmy said with a frown, "Listen to this! Ahem! Why lady Cream! Your eyes! They are like little glowing stars of light!"

Cream giggled as Espio blinked. The purple chameleon leaned over just enough to whisper to Rouge playfully, "Does that junk really work with women?"

The bat burst out laughing as Charming frowned, glaring-rather cutely—at Espio, "Hey! I heard that! You big jerk!"

"Well," Blazes' voice came out as a mixture of a growl and a purr, "Let's stick to the agenda here, yeah? If the little rich boy's gonna be in town, then that means their security is going to be extra tight up there, since they have spoiled royals to protect." Lifting her index finger, a small flame appeared at the end of the flame and Blaze smirked as she heated her sandwich.

"And that means less sweat for us then," Rouge smiled, "The Baron at the bar has been telling me that the prices at the markets are getting higher, especially since those rich bastards have been raising prices. Less and less people are being able to afford food…its time we did something about this."

The rest of the group nodded their heads; the once playful, light demeanor of the cove had suddenly shifted into something heavier and more serious. Gone was the lighthearted banter and in was the stoic mannerisms of warriors. Even the youngest members like Charmy and Cream had serious faces.

"Tomorrow night," Espio began, unraveling an old map across his section of the table, " The fishermen are going to make a delivery to the warehouse just around sundown. If we can intercept them before they get within two miles of Soleanna, we can distribute that food to possibly at least half of the city."

The rest of the rebels gathered around, following his finger as he circled the trail where the merchandise would be traveling, "We'd have to get to them here. Any later than two miles, and they could get help from the Soleanna guards and any later, we may not be able to outrun them. Its going to be pretty risky."

Rouge nodded her head, "This is going to be stealthy, _Pyra, Hawkeye, Scorpion_, will go and meet the caravan, take the contraband and return it to the Baron's cavern, our agreed meeting place. If anything goes wrong, you know what to do, scatter in all directions. _Polka_ you'll wait at the Baron's cavern for the others to arrive. _Bigboy_ stay with the little ones."

If anyone disagreed with the plans, no one outwardly showed it. When the leader of the Renegadas spoke, it was no time for disagreement, only time for action. Every single one of them owed her their lives at least once. When she gave an order, they fulfilled it to the best of their power. They all nodded their heads, "Yes…"

"And what about _La Diabla_?" Blaze asked coolly.

Rouge lifted a fist and with her concentration it glowed a bright crimson, illuminating the dark room with a new source of light. The others watched in silent awe as the cool, aquiline orbs of their leader slowly transitioned in a blood shade of red, "_La Diabla strikes_."

* * *

Again and again Jet's icy blues scrolled over the parchment in his hands disbelievingly, as if he had to reread the document to believe what he was seeing. Each second he held the parchment, the more turbulent his anger became. His hands began to tremble and his fury was so spiked that he could barely see straight!

This was the fifth time in a month that a merchant caravan had been successfully raided. The same damn bandits were behind this, and they, the imperial army couldn't stop a girl and her crew of ragtag bandits! They were _the_ imperial army of Soleanna for Heaven's sake! One of the finest, well-outfitted armed forces alive! Countries envied them for the military prowess and their legendary reputation.

These Renegadas, they had been chasing these thieves for over three years now and they still couldn't capture them! If word got out to their neighboring countries that the imperial army couldn't catch a group of measly thieves, they would be a laughing stock.

And Jet the Hawk was at the end of **_no one_**'s joke.

The amount of sheer, violent fury in Jet the Hawk made the lower lieutenants squirm uneasily in their seats. They writhed, hoping that the incensed commander wouldn't have the mind the lash out at them. It was evident that as they sat in Soleanna palace's Great Hall, Jet the Hawk was growing more agitated by the second.

The Green Rider had always been famous for his wildly stormy temperament and as one of Soleanna's most powerful men; the combination of impatience and strength made one dangerous potion that the wise avoided.

Before long, Jet shoved the document to the nearest servant, not wanting to bother with it anymore, "Get this out of my face. Now!"

"Y-Yes sir." The servant quickly scampered away from the avian.

Another shipment lost to the Renegadas, only this time they had struck a caravan of seafood that was due to the markets by morning. As usual Jet the Hawk was furious, spewing string after string of curses wondering how they, the royal army, could be fooled by peasant thieves.

"Another damn order lost! To thieves!" Although Jet was roaring and red in the face, his voice held a hint of question, "Are we not the imperial army! Soleanna's finest, damn army!"

"W-We are sir," one of the lieutenants replied.

"To lose so many shipments is unspeakable! I don't care what has to happen to stop these bandits, this _Diabla_ character," he spat the word as if her name tasted foul in his mouth, "and I don't care how many men it takes to find her. I want as many men as we can spare searching for this woman. Search any and every damn house, store, alleyway and leave no table unturned. I don't care what you do but find this petty thief and bring her back to me!"

"We can mobilize a few units if you would like, Lord Hawk," Wave replied, an amused smirk at the apparent lack of restraint her lord was showing, "Personally as your second in command I would like to suggest that we studied these rogues a bit longer and…"

Knuckles leaned over to whisper to Shadow, "These Renegadas may be a royal pain in the ass…but you gotta admit. They're pretty effective yeah? Been chasin' these people for three years and we still haven't caught them. Their organization is pretty tight."

"Hn."

Commander Shadow frowned although his face held no sign of his interest with these thieves; this was the fifth time in about a month that this had happened, a shipment had become lost and no one knew how. The emperor wondered if this had something to do with a petty thief? No a petty thief wouldn't be able to strike five times and get away? Whoever was doing this had skill.

"Sir, we believe this was the work of the Renegadas," one soldier spoke quietly.

"Argh!" Jet slammed his slammed down upon the cherry wood table making goblets clatter uneasily, "We already know it's the Renegadas you fool!"

Under her breath, Wave the Swallow tittered as Storm grinned impishly. Both of them caught each other's eye across the table; Jet always was good entertainment when he was shouting, carrying on like a fool. But because they valued their heads being attached to their bodies, they'd never tell him that.

Shadow slowly brought his goblet of wine to his lips as he thought the situation over. There wasn't much information about this mysterious fiend, other then the fact that the 'La' meant she was a female. A lady rogue, as patterns dictated, who only killed when necessary. Several times royal guards had returned to Soleanna's castle when they could have been left for dead.

Although his stoic face betrayed none of his thoughts, Shadow was very much interested in this lady bandit. There were few leads on her and her organization. It was also rumored that their band of crooks were fluent in Spanish as well, which would lead to the name, _La Diabla_ or _lady devil_.

It looked bad on the commander's rap sheet that they couldn't capture one thief, and a woman at that. As Jet carried his furious tirade on, shouting and screaming until he was blue in the face, Shadow crossed his arms; normally he didn't go after lawbreakers unless ordered by the Emperor Gerald himself, but this time he might take this case.

"Well, pardon me milord," Wave started, whisking a stray lock out of her face, "But I think it would be wise to share the words of the emperor. Our great monarch has issued that he would like one of his commanders to look into this matter."

Well this lady thief had certainly captured the stoic commander's attention and to satisfy his curiosity, Shadow would pursue this case. What did a female crook actually look like? How did she act to have people, let alone men follow her with the highest degree of loyalty? What type of authority did she use to have her words cemented as law?

The questions swirling around in the commander's head were innumerable and there was only one way to have his curiosity quenched. He had to stop this bandit himself. In the congregation of powerful men, Shadow rose to his feet. The court fell silent at his gesture, even Jet quieted down and glanced at him.

Like all the Emperor's commanders, Shadow's presence demanded respect. While Jet used the strength of his forward personality and threats, Shadow could simply draw power to himself by a simple gesture that made himself known. Although the lone wolf commander didn't speak much, the few times he did, everyone hung to his every word.

Shadow glanced around at the quiet court, seeing that he had a rapt audience he spoke, "I'll handle this one."

Shock was imminent on everyone's faces as the lone wolf, quiet commander spoke. It was well known that when Shadow committed to a case, he _always _got his man. He put his utmost effort into tracking the criminal down; spending hours and days locked in his office as he reviewed reports and statistics.

Even his investigations were infamous. His methods weren't forceful, yet he seemed to have a way of drawing out information from even the most tight-lipped of people. Shadow spent time among the commoners, questioning and mingling as he retrieved the most unusual facts about a lead.

And that's how Shadow had gotten to where he was now. As he sat in the chambers of his study, the thoughtful commander leaned back in his chair, arms crossed as he was submerged in his thoughts. After digging through several reports about these criminals, Shadow found himself growing more interested.

Never had he had such a real fascination with the criminals that he was tracking down. The more articles and reports he found about these crooks, the more he wished to learn about them. His research he conducted about them didn't feel like a chore as his usual cases did, this felt like a hobby.

These people who called themselves Las Renegadas were fluent in both English and Spanish; educated thieves? How rare was that. They also had an underground network that worked as their eyes and ears and apparently the locals were very much aware of who these Renegadas were.

As the hours, days, and weeks passed, Shadow found himself eagerly working through pages and pages of reports. These rogues were different; the Renegadas didn't do senseless destruction, in fact all their targets were meticulously planned and strategized. They only went after supplies, food, water, and threads for clothing.

The Renegadas weren't fiends; they were heroes trying to simply find away to feed the poor. With the newest increase of taxes there was no way half of the peasant class would be able to afford their payments.

They reminded him of a story he had heard as a child; the story of Robin Hood, '_Steal from the rich and feed the poor_.' And that's exactly what this band of merry crooks were dedicated to, helping the poor, even if they had to steal from a few caravans to do so.

The commander narrowed his eyes, smirking as he was slowly piecing the puzzles together, solving the mystery of the ever-elusive Renegadas. When they raided, they only killed when necessary and sometimes, they had even gone as far as bandaging a few of their foes.

While La Diabla was a menace, she was caring…she didn't kill for fun.

And then after working and researching for a few months, it all clicked for the young commander. Like a game of chess, the commander had suddenly figured out how to checkmate the Diabla; all he had to do was make sure his rooks and knights were in the right place to capture the opposing—not king-queen.

And there was nothing more that Commander Shadow loved than a damn good game of chess.

'_Not a cruel, uncaring psychopath who's out for blood or fights_,' the commander mused to himself, '_but a person of compassion. Taking only the lives of those that are necessary and sparing mercy to others. While merciful, that will be the she-rogue's down fall. Her leniency.' _

The young commander chuckled gently, smiling to himself as he worked on setting up a plan that would catch this Diabla creature so he could meet this mysterious woman for himself. With a clean parchment and the light of the candle keeping the darkness of night at bay, the dark hedgehog began to come with a plan to unhinge the Diabla from the seams.

In less then three months, the commander had a plan to capture the fiend that had eluded the imperial army for three years. There was little doubt why people referred to Commander Shadow as both brilliant and ingenious.

* * *

The milky moon in the sky glowed with a soft, pearl quality as Rouge darted through the streets. As she melded within the shadows, she watched a couple of imperial guards stroll right past her. She grinned impishly; man, it seemed like anyone nowadays anyone was accepted to be a guard! There was hardly even a challenge sneaking around at night.

They chatted idly, softly laughing at one another's jokes as Rouge slipped into a building with a liquid, feline grace. She opened the door and found herself in the entrance of the Fire-Breathing pub. The scent of hot stew, sizzling meats and smoke wafted into her nostrils as she slowly closed the door behind herself.

The bar occupants glanced up at her for a moment before they resumed their business. This night was the same as always; customs sat around old, creaky tables as the tavern girls strolled by in their low-cut uniforms, delivering mugs of frothy ale and bowls of chunking stew to their customers.

As always, a bluish-gray halo of smoke clung in air as the poor lighting made the pub even more suspicious. The pitiful candle light did nothing to fight off the darkness, and every now and then, Rouge would see the carroty glow of someone's smoke as they took a drag.

With the dark enveloping the room, there was no real need for her cloak. She slipped the hood from her head and slowly walked over to a free table. While she may have not had eyes in the back of her head, Rouge knew that there were several eyes trailing her female frame.

She sat down at a table in the corner of the room, hoping to just blend in and be nothing more than scenery. She tapped her fingers in a cadence, waiting for one of the tavern girls to approach her. The table she sat at was filthy, with old smears of food, grease and ale on the unwashed surface.

One of the tavern girls blinked, realizing that a newcomer was there and just as she ambled towards Rouge, a second tavern girl-this one a redhead-waved her away. The girl shrugged and went to flirt with one of the drunk barflies.

The scarlet-haired girl returned moments later with two ales and two large bowls of steaming, meaty stew. She slipped into a side across from Rouge and smirked, "Well, long time no see Ro. How's that Renegada business treatin' you?"

"Pretty good Sal, how's the tavern work?"

As Rouge picked up her spoon and began to dig into her meal, Sally rolled her eyes. Sally Acorn, known as 'Big Red' around the taverns was a beautiful chipmunk girl who got her nickname from her long waves of crimson hair. While she may have been easy on the eyes, behind all that hair and those big crystal blue eyes of hers, Sally had a well-working brain.

Sally slung her long legs over the table as she dug around in her apron. She quickly produced a slim cigarette, doused it in the candle flame, and lovingly locked it within her mouth. She sighed happily as she exhaled, enjoying the warm feel of the smoke circling within her lungs.

Rouge watched slightly impressed as her friend blew a bluish smoke ring, "Nice one Sal."

"Thanks, I've had years of practice."

"That stuff is going to kill you one day."

"That's true, one day maybe, but one day isn't today. By the way, the second you entered the pub, I knew it was you."

Rouge smirked, "How did you know?"

Sally chuckled, taking another drag, "The guys in here suddenly looked like a good piece of meat walked in here and then I look up, low and behold the beauteous Rouge enters. I thought I told you to be careful about that, these guys here aren't gents, Ro."

"You don't need to worry about me Sal."

"Yeah I know, you kick ass like a man, ha! Wait, you kickass like a woman! That's even better. But just let me worry about you," Sally smirked, exchanging a smile with Rouge.

The chipmunk focused her clearwater blues upon Rouge, the tail of the cigarette glowing red, "So what's up with you? Got more business to take care of? Girl stuff?"

Girl stuff, it was a code for Renegada business. Rouge swallowed a mouthful of chunky, chewy meat and nodded her head, continuing to lap up her meal hastily. Sally raised an eyebrow at the pace Rouge was putting away food, "Damn, slow down Ro. You'd think you haven't eaten in a week or so."

"Your food is so good," she said in between slurps.

"Barth's in the back," Sally jerked her head towards a door in the back of the pub, "But first eat, take in a little drink and talk with me a bit, girl. The only time I get to see your fine ass is when you're on business."

Rouge laughed; Sally had always been like the older sister Rouge never had. Fiery, outspoken and always witty, Rouge never found a dull moment in Sally's company, "Sal, are you sure you don't want to stay with us at the shelter? We've got plenty of room."

"Nah," Sally waved her hand through the air with a flourish, "The idea of living underground like a mole ain't really appealing to me but hey, if that works for you, then so be it."

Rouge finished up her stew and downed a beverage known as a Creambeer, a specialty whipped up by the Fire-breathing pub. It was a light, creamy nonalcoholic beverage that was sweet and thick like a custard but went down as smooth as milk.

The two girls caught up over the time they had spent apart, going between the extremes of Sally's life as a tavern girl and Rouge's life as a Renegada leader. Sally's stories evolved around the pub, men and flirtation while Rouge's dealt with danger, stealth and adventure. Laughter filled the air as they passed stories and shared meals.

By the time Rouge had a full stomach, Sally had worked through two ales, half a stew and five cigarettes. The redhead relished Rouge's peels of laughter as she retold how she had kicked out an ornery customer.

"Flat on his ass and into a puddle," Sally smirked as Rouge giggled merrily.

"Well, you're still as ruthless as always, _Roja_."

Sally smirked at her name, "Hmm. But not nearly as ruthless as you, mama. Speaking of which, you have business to handle with Barth. Now that you're full, go and speak to him. He's been awaiting your arrival."

"Allright, see you around, Sal."

"Lovely as always Ro."

With Sally in tow, Rouge started toward the back of the bar. Just as she reached for the door, a yellow hedgehog moved in front of her. The girl sniffed at her irritably as she placed her hands on her hips, "Yoo are nowt awowed back heerah! Zis iz for employeez only, madam!"

Rouge chuckled, finding it all too hard to take this tavern girl seriously. She was busty, had bright jade eyes and was a little shorter than Rouge. She wore a puffy short dress that reached her mid thigh and far too much make-up. She narrowed her eyes and pouched her cherry lips, " No, no entry for yoo! Yoo not a pub gurlie! _Vous la mauvaise fille _! "

"Let her through, Jaune," Sally spoke like she was talking to a child, "Or I'll tell Barth what you were doing _really_ doing on your break."

The girl, Jaune frowned, reminding Rouge of a sulking child, "_Je suis si désolé ! _Fine, fine I let zee dame go throo then. How troobellzome!"

Sally shot Rouge one last wink before the Renegada leader entered the back room. She stepped in, closing the door behind herself, "Barth?"

A tall, heavy badger spun around and waved her in. Rouge stepped toward the hefty bar owner, smiling as she approached, "Hey there Barth."

She pulled up to the table and sat adjacent from him. The beefy badge looked up at her, his oily black eyes glinting in the candlelight, "Hello there Miss Rouge, come to see me about Renegada business, eh? Did you eat to your fill? I can't allow a lady to starve"

She nodded her head and smiled, "Yes and thank you for your kindess! Meals have been getting meager around the hideout. Tomorrow the shipment from Para town will be arriving and I just wanted to double check your maps. Just to be sure we're arriving at the right location."

The badger uncoiled a map out before Rouge, slowly letting the worn parchment unravel. She nodded her head and noticed the markings he cited for the Renegadas to strike. While she studying the map, the badger studied her imagine under the dancing candlelight. He noticed the contours of her face and her long lashes.

"The red x is where they're gonna be an hour after sundown," he spoke gruffly, and he took her hand, slowly moving it to the red mark, "You and your Renegadas should ambush 'em there."

"Thanks," Rouge glanced up at him, "You know Barth, you've been a supporter of our cause for the longest and…I truly thank you from the bottom of my heart. If it wasn't for this tavern backing us up, we couldn't do what we're doing now."

"No problem Miss Rouge," the badger grinned down at the smaller girl, "You kids really stick it to those damn richies. We'll always be more than willing to help you."

Rouge smiled, "Thank you…I know she should at least pay you for your services, but…thank you for operating out of the charity of your heart."

When Rouge went to pull her hand back from the badger's large paws, his grip suddenly tightened. She paused and glanced up at him questioningly, "…Barth? Is there something you need to tell me?"

"When you mention prices…" The badger began in a dull lull, his heavy thumb began caressing her hand, "It's funny you should mention such a thing, Miss lady."

"Coppers, Silvers?" Rouge's expression hardened a bit, "Name your price. We don't have much currency but I'm sure we can arrange something. It'll be more work but—"

The badger chuckled and bent down until his face was level with hers, "Oh no Missy. The thing I want is worth more than any currency you can offer me. All I ask for is three nights…"

His rough hand began to trail down her arm and massaged her wrist gently. His other hand rested on her thigh, fondling her roughly. Rouge suddenly froze, her breath catching and her aquamarine eyes growing wide at the intimate gesture, "All I ask for is three nights with the lovely Renegada leader. You're a fine woman, Miss Rouge. Pay my charitable actions off and make me a happy man."

While the badger grinned, his yellowed teeth shone bright in the candlelight. What he didn't notice was how Rouge's fist curled and shook and how for the slightest second her cool eyes flared red. Her peach lips pulled back into a thin line as her eyes narrowed.

_"Tu eres un pendejo." _She spat, her eyes glowing darkly.

"Ah, I forgot the Renegadas are fluent in Spanish as well as English," Barth grinned, chuckling, "Also, when I have you in my bed, I want you…as part of my payment, why don't you moan in Spanish as well?"

Outside Big red took another drag on her cig. She exhaled the smoke and watched as it curled and writhed sinuously in the night sky as if it danced. She smiled as the familiar, cloudy warmth in her lungs numbed any type of worry of hers.

Ah, nothing was better than a smoke.

Just as she took another long drag, the door to the pub burst open. Curiosity made Sally turn and see who was leaving the pub in such a rut. It was probably another drunk, or maybe this time it was another fight over a tavern girl. Sally smirked; right next to smoking, watching drunken men duke it out over a girl-who cared nothing for them-was pure entertainment.

She dropped the worn cigarette on the ground and crushed it out with a stiletto heel. She placed her hands on her hips, blowing the last of the smoke out through her mouth as she was ready to instigate a fight, "Hey! You there!"

But instead of a duo of brawling men, it was her friend Rouge who stomped out, looking furious. Sally's eyes grew wide and she quickly rushed to match strides with her friend, "Ro? Ro! Hey, talk to me mama, what's wrong?"

"I'm sorry Sal," Rouge looked torn between anger and sorrow, "But the Renegadas can't do any business here anymore."

"What? Why?"

"We just can't Sal," Rouge hurriedly wiped a hand over her face and Sally noticed how moist and shiny her friends eyes were. Big Red even noticed the blood stains on her glove; it must have been Barth's.

She quickly grabbed Rouge's hand and pulled her to a halt, "Did that man, did that bastard do anything to you!" Sally's voice became instilled with venom.

"No, he didn't touch me," her eyes shone green, "But his asking price for helping the Renegadas is _far_ too much."

Sally's red lips thinned into a fine line_; that dirty pig_, whatever he had said to Rouge must have been the thing to have upset her. Before Sally could even console her, Rouge leapt into the shadows and disappeared, darting away through the night.

Big red stood in the middle of the road glancing off where her friend had vanished off to. The chipmunk watched after her friend wordlessly, silent for a moment before she made her way back to the pub.

* * *

As the Commander Shadow was in his study, he was standing outside at his personal balcony where Soleanna was laid out before him. The entire kingdom was below him, plains, mountains and sand included.

For months now he had been studying and learning more about the Renegada faction. They were an interesting lot and putting the puzzles together to give the Soleanna army the key to rip them apart was intriguing.

As the clues and pieces fell into place for Shadow, he found that he was missing one last big thing, something that would put everything together for him. As Shadow studied the clear blue sky he pondered about La Diabla.

So when—because Shadow always got his man, or woman in this case-they detained the Devil woman, it would be such a shame to kill her. She used Chaotic energy and as summoned by the Emperor, all who used that energy were to be executed.

Shadow shook his head; it would be such a loss to kill a worthy opponent. With a sigh, Shadow closed his eyes and relaxed, enjoying the way Mother Nature delicately ran her fingers through his quills with tendrils of wind and the way she kissed his face with warm rays of sun.

Just as the commander allowed himself some time to be spoiled by Mother Nature's kindness, a knock brought the hedgehog to attention. With a groan Shadow tore himself away from his balcony and marched into his office. He slipped into his chair with his customary scowl in place, "You may enter."

The stolid hedgehog turned to see both of Jet's lieutenants—Wave and Storm—enter his office. The purple Swallow was all smiles as Storm looked none too happy to be in Shadow's presence. It was funny; one of Jet's commanders was infatuated with him and the other despised him. Couldn't there be some sort of middle ground!

"Hello there Commander," Wave purred coyly as both she and Storm gave a formal bow to their superior. Shadow noticed how stiff Storm's bow had been.

This had Shadow raise an interested eyebrow; now why would both of Jet's highest ranked lieutenants come to his study like this? Whatever was going on it must have been pretty important. Wave wasted no time and quickly approached Shadow and stood near enough where he could smell her perfume.

"So what brings you to here to see me?" Shadow asked.

"I've been wanting to see you for awhile now commander," Wave grinned, her fingers slowly circling upon the surface of his desk, "Always so busy you are! You're never around with the other commanders and dare I say that I rather enjoy your company."

Storm scoffed, "We've been sent to tell you that both Lord Jet and Knuckles are on their way here."

The fuchsia swallow shot Storm a scathing glare, "…Yes that too. But isn't it such a shame that its only business that brings us together? Now maybe if you're free sometime we could-"

"Stop pestering Commander Shadow."

Jet grinned victoriously as Knuckles sauntered in behind the arrogant Hawk. Wave growled under her breath, her blue eyes narrowing as her commander strolled past her. As he did so, his blue eyes slid until they were locked on her and whispered, "Control your hormones a bit, yeah?"

"Certainly…_milord_." Wave replied with a bow that hid her look of loathing.

"Tch women," Jet rolled his eyes and smiled, "Such fruitless little creatures, aren't they, Commander?"

While Wave stewed silently, Shadow reclined thoughtfully. While Wave's infatuation with him was something childish and rather obsessive, Shadow had to reserve his judgments about her. While she was one of the first women in the Imperial army, Wave had a stellar IQ.

Whenever she spoke of strategy, even the most arrogant of men like Jet shut up and listened because of her brilliance. It was as if she was gifted with the ability to know how to tear any enemy they faced apart from their seams.

Also combined with her intelligence, she was ruthless; having an edge about her that said '_Do not mess with me_.' All in all, Shadow didn't think there was really anything about Wave that was 'fruitless.' She may wear an obnoxious bright shade of magenta eyeshadow and she may have a short fuse and a rather pitchy voice, but Wave was deserving of being a lieutenant.

But Shadow was sure the real intention behind Jet's visit wasn't to come here and blather about the incompetence of his soldier. Jet the Hawk always had motivates behind his actions, whether he let you know them of not.

He slammed a green feathered wing upon Shadow's desk, grinning like he breathed hellfire, "So_ Shad,_ how has your search with that Devil been going? Not too well if I'd say so."

Shadow didn't even blink; this was exactly what Jet wanted him to do; he wanted him to fall right into his stupid little mind games. A part of Shadow was offended; what in the _hell_ made Jet think he would be riled up by_ his_ stupid antics?

"And what makes you think that, Jet?" Shadow narrowed his eyes.

"Oh nothing," Jet began to stroll around the room, trotting around with a little merry bounce in his walk, "Just that you haven't sent anyone out to detain this woman. Not one single solider. So tell me, is the _great _Shadow having trouble finding one _woman_!"

Storm grinned darkly as Wave gasped; was Commander Shadow having trouble detaining this woman!

"Commander Jet," Knuckles reestablished the proper titles, "We don't know that yet. Commander Shadow's very diligent in his work. Let's not jump to conclusions yet."

"Really Commander?" Jet grinned, spinning to face them both, "Its been, oh, what? Five months since he took the assignment and yet there's no Diabla! Seems like a failure if you ask me!"

"No not quite," Shadow replied quietly, yet his voice held all the strength of steel, "I've just been making sure I have all the right tools I need to capture her."

"_And it takes five months_!" Jet squawked, "Ridiculous! Just admit that even you're over your head! Relieve yourself some trouble and give _me_ the case. I'll have her here and hog-tied in no time flat!"

"What you don't understand about her Jet," Shadow rose to his feet to be nearly face to face with the hawk, "is that with each case, you deal with a different villain and you must have the right means to catch that villain. She's just covered her tracks so well, that yes, it has taken me five months."

The hawk narrowed his eyes as Shadow continued, "I'm nearly done solving this mystery, this puzzle that is La Diabla. All I need is for the last piece to fall into place, and I can tell you how and where to find her."

"Oh," Jet growled, arms crossed, "And you expect me to believe that! Everyone around here might think you're some kind of god, but I'm not them! You finding La Diabla? Don't make me laugh. You and I both know that that's a crock load of bull shi—"

His words died on his tongue as Knuckles reentered the room with a person following him, "Commander, there's someone here to see you."

Knuckles stepped aside and revealed a tall yet obese badger. Shadow narrowed his eyes, scanning the newcomer; this badger looked greasy and dirty but Shadow didn't overlook the bruised, black eye and he had a puffy face and a busted lip. Did this guy just come from a fight? For a moment the badger glanced around the room and his eye caught upon Wave.

"State your business," Shadow commanded.

"Commander, I heard word that you were looking for La Diabla."

"Yeah and _who the hell are you_!" Jet barked; he was still in a sour mood from his argument with Shadow and on top of that this badger was eyeing _his_ lieutenant right in front of his eyes.

The badger snorted, wiping his nose with the back of his sleeve. As Knuckles and Wave scrunched up their faces in revolt, Shadow narrowed his eyes. That badger may have had bad hygiene and manners, but he did that snorting because his nose was busted. His snout was swollen and bruising. Something told Shadow that La Diabla might have been behind that somehow.

"And who's cute little whore is she?" the badger asked, his eyes tracing the contours of Wave's black and green armor, "Women shouldn't wear the armor of men."

"Oh is that so?" she snapped angrily, her hand immediately reaching for the hilt of her sword, "Well I'll show you what I think you fu—"

Before Wave could brandish her weapon, in a blur, the large badger was lifted off of his feet and pinned to the wall. A glossy silver spear awaited by his neck as Jet's other hand grasped his collar, holding his against the wall roughly.

"You step into _my_ presence, ogle a lady while _I_ stand here, and then you have the audacity to insult _my_ lieutenant? Give me one reason why I shouldn't slit your throat here and let you bled out like a butchered sow?" Jet whispered in a deadly low voice, yet it had enough volume for the room's occupants to hear it all.

"Commander Shadow…needs me…if he wants…La Diabla…" he choked, gasping.

"Why are you here?" Shadow asked, this time his voice didn't have an edge to it.

"Because Commander," The badger grinned darkly, "I can give you La Diabla's pretty little ass on a silver platter and tell you _exactly_ where she'll be two weeks from now."

Shadow ignored the delighted gasps from the other lieutenants as they jabbered to each other excitedly. The black and red hedgehog slammed his fist on the desk in a motion to shut them up and they halted.

"And what would your name be?"

"They call me Barth, Commander."

Shadow cut Jet a glance, "Like I said, all I need is for the last piece to fall into place, and I can tell you how and where to find her. Now release him immediately oh and Barth? If you ever insult one of the lieutenants again, I will slit your throat myself."

* * *

The white bat entered Soleanna's cathedral; a tall, sharp pearl-colored building that held many beautiful spires and turrets. As Rouge waltzed into the place of worship, the soft sent of lilacs and oil swept forward in a cool, soft breath of air.

She washed her hands in the holy water and opened another door to the sounds of soft singing and the chords of an organ playing. She traveled past the pews and gazed at the beautiful stain-glassed windows as they glowed brightly; with the sunlight shining forth, an arch of rainbow light danced across her cloaks.

The soft chords of the organ reached her ears as she stood at the front altar, showing reverence with her silence. After one last bow Rouge moved to the back of the chapel where a garden and a small cemetery lay. With another door opened, the breath of warm outside air and strong sunlight greeted her.

The grass of the cemetery was damp and sparkled with tiny diamonds of water drops. The sodden earth under her feet felt pliable but not irritating and stubborn the way mud clung to one's sole. With each step she took the smell of damp earth and sweet grass reached her nostrils, a scent she didn't mind in the least bit.

A few priests were out and about, visiting the crosses that marked the graves of all those who slumbered for eternity. A few of the priests smiled upon recognition and one of them approached her, "Lady Rouge, its always a marvel to see you. How can I do for you?"

"Friar Locke!" Rouge chirped happily, hugging the elderly echidna, "Do you know where the head priestess is? There's something I must ask her."

"But of course," the old priest nodded his head, "the priestess is around here praying, once she is finished I shall send her to you right away."

"Of course, and thank you very much."

With one last bow, the old echidna began to hobble off, walking so gingerly that he looked as if he was floating. Rouge raised a hand to shield her eyes from the sun; man, it was starting to get really warm out here.

Maybe black cloaks for the Renegada faction was a bad idea! Maybe they should take one out of the priest's book and go with white; it reflected sunlight instead of absorbing it and it would be much cooler during the warmer seasons.

As the priests continued to visit graves, Rouge bit her lip; she wondered how many of these graves were fresh. How many of these people had fallen when the war had happened against the Dark Arms' Cult? How many fathers and brothers, mothers and sisters were buried here? Just thinking about it made Rouge's stomach churn uneasily.

The Renagadas couldn't fail, or the number of fresh graves would rise and more unnecessary lives would be lost. Rouge's aquamarine eyes caught on a nearby grave; she dropped to her knees before the marked grave and bit back a sob.

_'I'm sorry. You gave your life for a cause you believed in and for that I will strive my hardest to make it work…'_

"Lady Rouge?"

The white bat rose from off of her knees and quickly perked up at the sound of her light voice. There she found what she was looking for. With a smile Rouge approached the feminine figure, "Ah and there you are priestess. You're a hard woman to track with you being on the move and all."

A peach furred echidna quickened her pace and smiled as her turquoise eyes glowed warmly. The priestess was a lean, beautiful echidna who wore a small silver circlet upon her head. The white of her robes seemed to glow with an ethereal brilliance as she stepped forward, more than happy to greet her friend. Both girls hugged each other in a true, warm embrace.

"Ah, well if it isn't the lady rogue. How does your company fair nowadays?"

"Oh as fine as ever," Rouge grinned as she pulled away.

"And the little ones?"

Rouge chuckled; it was no secret that the head priestess loved children, but she was especially taken by the likes of Cream and Charmy. Every time the Renegada's youngest members where at the cathedral, Tikal always doted upon and spoiled them rotten with hugs, kisses and any type of candies and cakes she could find.

During the holidays the priestess would send them toys, sweets and plush blankets and for their birthdays she always made sure that the bakery made them a fine, sweet cake. And when the kids started referring to her as 'Auntie Tikal' the priestess was euphoric. It was no surprise that Cream and Charmy loved the priestess just as much as she loved them.

"Oh they're fine and they told me to tell their Auntie Tikal 'hi!'."

"And be sure to tell them, Auntie loves them both dearly. Such darling little things they are…"

"Yeah they are pretty cute," Rouge chuckled, flicking a stray strand of hair out of her face, "Oh! How is church life priestess?"

"As fine as ever," Tikal beamed, when she titled her head just the slightest bit, the silver circlet around her head broke afire into a smooth glow, "The choir is rehearsing some hymns and we'll be holding the evening service as usual. Its nice to see you again friend, with both of us being so busy, we never really get much time to catch up."

"You can say that again!"

"Its nice to see you again friend, with both—"

"Hey, I was kidding Tikal!"

The beige echidna laughed, her titter sounding like thousands of little silver chimes, "Forgive my sense of humor, friend. But what brings you to the cathedral?"

"Well besides seeing your pretty face again, I thought it would be best to let you know that we're going to be undertaking a dangerous mission," Rouge glanced at the ground, toeing her boots against the damp grass, "and I wanted to know if you could—"

"What is it that you need?" Tikal's serene face became austere, "Is it funds you require? Food? Tell me what you need friend and I shall do the best I can to aid you. You know that Soleanna's Cathedral stands behind you."

Rouge smiled, "Ti, please. Luckily everytime I ask for money its not too often, ugh I feel so evil taking funds from Soleanna's great cathedral."

"Please don't. The work that you do is clearly of the light."

"_Killing people_, Ti?" Rouge's voice held a note of humor.

"That is not your primary objective. While I may be adverse to violence of all forms," she took a deep breath, "I know that you and your companions only draw blood when it is the final option."

Rouge inclined her head as her voice came of a soft whisper, "…Yeah we try…"

"I know," the priestess smiled warmly, her crystalline eyes brilliant from the sun's touch, "So what is it that you require of me, friend?"

"Ti, I want to leave the kids here with you, under your care. You're one of my best friends, one of the few people I trust full-hearted outside of my Renagadas. The cathedral would be a good place for the kids to be raised if something were to happen to us, if I fell in battle—"

The priestess slammed her staff against the damp earth in a rare show of anger. Rouge blinked, wondering how or what she said that could have offended Tikal. The priestess was one of the longest-tempered people she knew. Even in the face of direct mockery Tikal was able to smile and have the sweetest mannerisms.

The peach-furred echidna glared; one of the few times Rouge had seen her do such an action, " Do not speak as if you won't live to return and pick those children up yourself! Do not condemn yourself to a premature death!"

"…Tikal..." Rouge said softly, eyes compassionate.

"I've already buried your father," the priestess continued, her anger rising, "It burned a hole through my heart to have done his funeral and burial. That was asinine enough! Trying to say my scriptures and prayers without crying! So do not think that for one second that I will be burying you!"

"But the children…?"

Tikal sighed, regaining her composure a bit, "Yes, you need not even ask. The little ones are always welcomed here."

The beige priestess glared off at nothing, still upset, or rather hurt by Rouge's words. The white bat glanced at her sympathetically, "Ti, look. You and I both know that what I'm doing is dangerous, and I'm just making sure that in the case that something happens to us that the kids will be well taken care of."

Rouge lightly held Tikal's shoulders, turning the priestess to look into her eyes. Rouge felt a lump grow in her throat as she saw Tikal's eyes becoming misty, " Ti…oh damn it this is hard! Quit making this hard for me!"

"We grew up together," the priestess sobbed, tears spilling from her eyes, "Your father used to babysit us, he let us eat cookies and candies when your mother wanted us to wait until dinner was done!"

"Haha, yeah," Rouge gave a wet smile, she didn't even know tears were coming down her face.

"Your…" Tikal hastily wiped a long, white sleeve across her eyes, "your father was like a second father for me. We were raised together Rouge; your father took you and I to fairs and your mother made us pies and cakes as we played together in the meadows. It was hard enough when your father died. I cried for days, remember?"

"Yeah…" Rouge said softly.

"We may have lost him, but I shall not lose you too. Do you hear me Rouge?" Tikal whispered, her eyes narrowed, "You will come back, live, have a parade of children who I will spoil and then we shall grow old together."

Rouge laughed, "As if someone will stick around long enough to marry me! I'm too much trouble! But yeah, I promise Tikal, I'm not going to leave you."

"You promise?" a flutter of a whisper.

"Yeah I promise."

The two girls hugged.

* * *

Their cloaks blended in with the darkness of night and under the glow of the moon, La Diabla's fur was a cool shade of silver. The white bat glanced over her shoulder and at the silver hedgehog beside her, "_Hawkeye, _are the merchants in position yet?"

"Hold on my lady."

The grayish hedgehog narrowed his eyes as they began to glow a shade of blue. La Diabla felt his Chaotic energy flow over-it was warm like the rays of sunlight- her for a moment before it spread out, pushing itself forward to stretch miles away. She knew that mentally he was trying to seek out the presence of the merchants with their cargo.

After several minutes of severe concentration, Hawkeye's irises became their normal shade of honey. He looked at her and smiled, "Yup. There'll about two miles away and approaching fast. _Scorpion _has already bored the vessel and is just waiting for our signal."

La Diabla nodded her head, "Good, _Pyra, Polka, Bigboy_ you guys ready to tango? This is a big order, so there'll be extra security."

"Yep!" _Polka_ chirped.

"Always," the cool voice of _Pyra_ answered.

"Uh, yeah!" _Bigboy_ grinned.

The faintest ebbs of firelight started to appear from the approaching caravan's wagons. The sound of galloping horses grew stronger as the fleet of caravans began to advance closer to their hiding spot. There were about twelve wagons of goods; about half of them would be enough to feed the entire West side of Soleanna. La Diabla narrowed her eyes, "_ Hawkeye, _link us all now!"

"Of course."

Again Hawkeye's iridescent eyes shone blue and suddenly their minds were brought on the same frequency. La Diabla could suddenly hear the thoughts of her fellow Renagadas as if they were speaking to her personally. The second Polka felt the connection link their minds, she turned and grinned at the white bat.

'_Hehe, I-can-hear-your-thooooughts!' _Polka thought in a childlike, singsong voice.

_'I'm ready…' _Pyra thought.

_'Rouge,' _the deep voice of Espio suddenly swam around in her head, although Rouge knew the others could hear him too, _'I'm in position, just give the signal.'_

_'Allright,' _Rouge heard her own thoughts reverberating inside her head, as if she was speaking inside of a canyon, _'All Renegadas ready to whip some ass?'_

_'Yes!'_

_'Yup!'_

_'Ready…'_

_'Uh ready!'_

_'Always ready, mademoiselle!'_

_'Yes…'_

Then, suddenly they could all feel the soar of La Diabla's Chaotic energy, as if it was traveling through their systems. The strength of her power was phenomenal, if felt as if liquid fire was traveling and scorching through their veins. Her eyes were a brilliant hue of fire as her Chaotic Energy was already starting to span through her body.

In a dead, icy voice all the Renegadas heard their leader mind-speak, '_La Diabla strikes…'_

Out of nowhere, a brilliant, blood-red comet of fire rained down from the sky. The fiery power crashed through the earth, jarring the earth part like fissures. The ground shook and the startled horses whined and were spooked as the earth growled angrily.

The drivers of the caravan pulled their horses to a halt as a burning fire raged before them. A couple of men had hopped down, leaving their driver posts as they came to study the fire. It wasn't the regular orangey- golden glow, but more of a deep saturated crimson burn.

And interestingly enough, the maroon fire didn't burn of devour the earth with the normal intensity that a fire should have. It blazed, blood crimson flames licking and dancing in a controlled, tantalizing dance. The drivers blinked, awed at such a sight, as the flames rose high above their heads, "Holy Chaos, have you seen anything like this before?"

"No," the other caravan driver could barely breathe, "Honestly never…A fire that blazes but doesn't burn? I've never seen such a fire before with red flames…"

"No, have you?"

At the sound of the new voice, both drivers spun around to be face to face with, nothing. Out of thin air a purple chameleon appeared, materializing right before their eyes like some sort of phantom. The men began to choke on their saliva and back away from him as tremors coursed through them.

With no hesitation, Scorpion leapt towards one of the drivers and sent a right hook for his face. As the man went down, the chameleon threw a handful of glinting knives at him. But the knives went meant to harm, but they all pinned the driver to the floor so that he was motionless.

The second driver took off, "Help! We're being attacked! It's them! Its them!"

'_Them?' _the chameleon thought with a mental raised eyebrow, he had an uneasy feeling about this.

Then his edgy fear was suddenly cemented. The tents to the caravan wagons were pushed aside and heavy armored soldiers stepped out. It was a nightmare as a myriad of soldiers poured from all of the caravans. Their gleaming black and white armor and their large royal insignia meant that they were imperial Soleannan soliders.

Scorpion narrowed eyes his and took a step back at the sign of an obvious ambush, _'Damnit, they know we're here! They've planned this! Everyone pull back!'_

_'Wha!' _Polka wheezed in disbelief.

'_Ambush!_' Hawkeye gasped.

But to Scorpion's horror, it was too late, the rest of the Renegadas were already in the fray, rushing to his aid. He watched as the various degrees of shock played upon his comrades' faces at the clear sight of an ambush. The imperial soldiers not only had them in sheer number, but because they were the Soleannan army, they were the best trained of Soleanna.

_'Shit!' _La Diabla cursed, her anger making her Chaotic energy ripple dangerous, _'Should have saw this one coming!'_

"Well, well, well," A green hawk with narrow blue eyes and a smirk stepped forth out of the threshold of the armed warriors, "So these are the infamous night crusaders,Las Renegadas eh? Hmm, I would have expected a tougher-looking like. All I see are rag-tag children, children who are out far past their bedtimes."

Behind him, two warriors wearing the same black and green-trimmed armor came up behind him. One was a slender, sharp-eyed swallow and the other was a brute, a massive gray albatross. The two lieutenants hung behind their superior, eyes alert and diligent.

_'This guy's an ass!' _Polka spat, the Renegadas could feel her about to blow a fuse, _'I wanna kick his ass!'_

_'Calm down,' _the cool tenor of Espio ordered gently, _'we'll just watch first, see what moves they make.'_

"Now, you guys came here to raid if I'm correct," Jet grinned, his eyes going back and forth between Espio and the others standing a few feet behind him, "Now last time I checked kiddies, that was against the law!"

"However," he purred, "we'll let you guys all go as long as you comply with our demands," the hawk licked his lips, "…Right here and right now, I want La Diabla to step forward."

With the mental link, the white bat felt an acidic pang of fear course through all of her comrades, except Espio who seemed as cool as ever. He was sound mentally and seemed to never fluctuate in a moment of weakness. There was no doubt that was the reason why he was the second in command.

"So," Jet's eyes quickly shifted off of Espio and onto the three cloaked figured figures. He looked highly amused as he scrutinized them harder, "Women who don't wear dresses huh? Just what type of heathen woman raised you?"

With the mental link, the Renegadas could feel Polka's anger boiling over at such a jibe. Visibly, because of the Renegada's training she had been put through, the pink hedgehog looked unthawed, although she slowly hid her trembling fists under her cloaks.

It was short, but for a moment, Rouge saw the swallow twitch. Ah, so even she had pride too…

_'If we get the chance, he's mine,' _Polka growled.

_'Amy,' _now Scorpion's tone sounded more along the lines of scolding, '_He's not a commander for nothing. He's one of the most powerful men in the imperial army. It would be no easy task to face him, and that's forgetting to consider that he has thousands of soldiers afoot. Control your anger.'_

_'…Sorry. You're right,' _Polka's voice was soft in the mental link.

"Ladies? Who is the devilish one?" Jet's voice was full of mocking as his eyes scourged over their trim frames, "Something tells me it's the golden-eyed cat."

Pyra smirked, crossing her arms, "If that's what you think, then so be it. But the 'devil' that you seek does not stand here before you."

All amusement drained from Jet's face, "…What?"

_'Play along!_' Pyra hissed.

"She's right," Silver said in his soft voice as all eyes turned to him, "Why would we risk our leader on a routine outing?"

"You're lying," Jett ground through his teeth.

Silver shrugged in nonchalance, "Suit yourself. Believe as you wish to believe, but even someone foolhardy as you would see how foolish it would be, to bring our leader on a routine outing."

With an angry turn, his forest-green cape trailed behind him as Jett quickly approached the other commander, the one who had been passively ascertaining the situation. With a furious scowl upon his face, Jet marched straight up to the red echidna.

"Did you hear that!"

"Of course I did," he replied in his deep voice, watching the Green Rider with a chuckle.

"They say that she's not here! And this whole thing," Jet motioned hurriedly to the soldiers around them, "Was a waste of effort and time!"

"Commander," Wave barked with an impatient air to her voice, "Are you simple enough to believe the words of thieves! They're lying to you. Commander Shadow would never lead us astray, the woman we look for is here!"

Knuckles chuckled softly, "Your lieutenant is wise, why trust their words? Just stick to Shadow's plan."

The blue rider watched as the light of comprehension glowed in Jet's cold blue eyes. The hawk suddenly smiled maliciously as if he had stumbled upon a very delicious secret of the Renegada's. Keeping them as prisoners meant torture, and there were some pretty cute lassies over there.

The hawk spun around to face the Renegadas again, this time with his composure intact. He glanced them over before he smiled, "Lying to a commanding officer? Tsk, tsk. Lying hurts my feelings you know? Guards," he purred smoothly, "Since there is no Diabla among them, I don't see why we should let them go unscathed. Rough 'em up a bit, bash in a few skulls, but no killing."

With a resounding cry, the soliders whent to ten-hut, weapons poised and shields ready as they faced the few Renegadas. Scorpion, Diabla, and Pyra readied themselves in a battle stance immediately as Polka and Hawekeye blinked, realizing that they had to fend off all those armored soldiers.

'_We're out numbered Rouge_,' contrary to the situation, Espio's voice sounded something akin to excited.

'_I know_,' so did La Diabla's.

'_Flight or fight'_ Hawkeye's voice trembled, '_If we use our Chaotic energies we're…'_

'_Done for?'_ Polka thought

'_Screwed?'_ Pyra thought at the same time.

'_Oh yeah,_' Hawkeye gulped, '_Screwed for.'_

Polka laughed at his wit and quickly armed herself with multiple daggers, "Come and get some…"

The soldiers began their charge, leaving the commanders behind to asses the battle front. Espio quickly shuffled through the multiple sacks tied to his belt before he found what he needed. With little effort he threw down a tiny bag and a blue cloud circled into the air.

Wave narrowed her eyes and barked out to the soldiers, "Watch it you idiots! It's a smoke screen!"

The soldiers slowed as they cautious entered the clearly smoke cloud. With their shields raised they continued to carry move on toward the defensive line where la Diabla and the other Renegadas where. Out of no where, one of the imperial soldiers choked, plummeting to the floor thrashing and kicking.

The others spun to face their fallen man, "Blankenship. What's going on!"

"H-help me," he wheezed, lips turning blue from the lack of oxygen.

The others were startled, as if some invisible force was choking him. They all froze when Scorpion suddenly materialized before them, holding down their choking comrade. In a face show of mock glee, the chameleon saluted them.

"What in the hell!" one of the men asked.

A yelp filled with pain rang out from another solider as his back was suddenly torched by a stream of roiling fire. The sheer momentum behind the attack made him fly several feet before he landed in an unmoving heap.

With the smog clearing, the others could see that the purple cat had orange glowing eyes as fire danced at the tips of her fingers. Storm nudged Wave in the side, nearly sending the girl toppling over. She regained composure and glared, "You idiot! What was that for!"

"Look…uh…its her eyes!"

Wave caught on and saw the glowing eyes and that meant she was a Chaotic wielder. Wave pointed toward her immediately, and shouted so their soldiers could hear, "Its her! La Diabla! Get the cat!"

Pyra laughed, "Don't be foolish! La Diabla has twelve times the power I have! However you can't even handle mine!"

With another jar of movements, another torch of fire followed as Scorpion quickly dashed to join the other Renegadas. La Diabla glanced at Hawkeye, "Mental barrier!"

"Got it, milady!"

A clear, glowing blue barrier appeared before the soldiers, stretching far and wide as Hawkeye's mind bent and molded the mental shield to his liking. However before Scorpion could make it to the other side along with his comrades, a spear whizzed past his head, barely missing its intended mark.

Scorpion paused, eyes narrowed at the near miss. The other Renegadas were safely isolated from the armored soldiers as Scorpion stood alone. Polka and Pyra gasped in horror as Scorpion slowly spun to face his attacker. With a second spear in hand, Jet the Hawk twirled the weapon skillfully before brandishing it at the chameleon. The Hawk smirked, "Going somewhere, rebel?"

"Scorpion!" Polka shrieked from the other side of the barrier.

The chameleon's golden eyes narrowed at the amount of steadied soldiers before him. If Hawkeye dropped the barrier, then the rest of the Renegadas were in danger so there was no way he could possibly be helped by his comrades. He was out here all by his lonesome and the odds were clearly not in his favor; he suddenly smirked; _how exciting._

'_I've got a plan,_' Espio's voice wafted in the heads of his members, '_and you all must leave me here.'_

A resounding, mental, 'WHAT!' exploded in a synchronized show of shock.

_'Rouge, take the others and lead them away from here you know that I am capable of handling this and it will buy you all the time you need to escape.'_

_'Espio…'_ she closed her eyes, not liking that she would have to leave him behind. He was her second in command, her voice of reason whenever the Renegadas made a move. Today before they had left their hideout, Silver had told her that today, something felt off. He couldn't explain the unsettling feeling, but he _knew_ today they would be unlucky.

So was she really going to leave him behind? Scorpion—no Espio—had always been like an older brother to her. Without his support and guidance he had given her over the years, she wouldn't be La Diabla, she wouldn't be the amazing rebel leader that she was today. Was she ready to leave her best man behind today?

'_Don't think, just do.' _Espio's voice was soft, _'Live today, fight tomorrow. Now go…'_

_'We're not leaving you, damn it!' _Polka's voice came out in a roar.

_'We've got to go,' _Pyra said softly.

'_Run…' _Scorpion tried again, '_...Rouge…'_

But La Diabla stood. Eyes closed, immersed in her own thoughts. Polka ran up to the barrier, eyes watery as she glared at Scorpion's cloaked form, _'We're not leaving you!'_

'_Just do it! NOW!' _he roared; his voice was no longer smooth as silk. It was rough, a pitch they hadn't heard before.

"Hawkeye."

The silver hedgehog glanced at his leader. She was sharp again, eyes vigilant and keen as she glared at him. The firelight from the imperial soldier's torches made her bright eyes dark, "Can you teleport us? A short distance so we can runaway on foot."

"Yes," Hawkeye replied, eyes narrowed in concentration, "I'll be completely spent then, but let's go for it!"

With a grunt, Hawkeye stretched his power to mold over all of the Renegadas. With each person his energy covered, he felt their very essence, the pattern of their very being. It was like being near the wicker of a candle and feeling the warmth; each life his power covered felt a heat.

When he was sure he felt all their life forces wrapped under the protection of his power, Hawkeye bellowed out, "Chaos Control!"

And in a nova of blue light, they disappeared.

_'Good bye Espio…Take care brother.'_

_'You too lil' sis…'_

Scorpion allowed himself to smile as soon as he saw the last traces of his comrades disappear. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to sigh; they were safe and that meant the Renegadas could continue to fight on.

Jet laughed, slowly pushing through the ranks of his men as he approached Scorpion. The chameleon narrowed his eyes as he crossed his arms against his chest. The commander paced before him, gauging his reaction, "Well, well. It looks like your all alone, Scorpion was it?"

The Green Rider continued, his smile all too condescending, "Well, if we had La Diabla in our grasp, we wouldn't need you. Tch, just a nobody. I can't get famous turning you in."

"And who said you _could_ turn me in, commander?" Scorpion asked.

"Petty thief, do you not know who I am?" Jett narrowed his eyes, a cold smile present, "I am one of Emperor Gerald's finest warriors, an elite. I wouldn't expect a petty thief like yourself to understand my level of achievement."

Scorpion broke out laughing, as if the Green Rider had told him a hilarious joke, "So just because you win one war, you suddenly think you're one of the greatest fighters? Blasphemy! In your entire imperial fleet, you had two soldiers who were actually worth their spit."

"How dare you!" Wave bleated, "What does a lowlife crook know about talent!"

"Uh yeah! Commander Jet is the best!" Storm cried out.

"Shut your mouth you rogue," Jett growled, all humor gone, "You're starting to get on my wrong side."

"Rogue," the other commander, who had been taking a more passive role in the situation stepped forward. The tall echidna stepped beside Jet, glancing at Scorpion in curiosity, "you certainly have confidence, don't you?"

Scorpion smirked, "Commander Knuckles! Well, well, one of the few men in this damn regiment I respect."

Knuckles narrowed his eyes; there was something familiar about this chameleon. He couldn't put his finger on what it was, but he had had a past encounter with him before. Something, intuition was warning him about this solider.

"Respect?" Knuckles asked warily, "you should respect all of these men. Each of them are fine warriors."

The chameleon voiced his disagreement and spat off to the side, "Nonsense. There's only two men I respect in your entire damn brigade. One of 'em isn't here, and the other one's dead."

Jett leaned over, just so he could have a quiet conversation with his equal, "Knuckles, this bandit is starting to piss me off. But I can't help the fact that there's something about this guy that's unsettling…"

"You sense that too?" Knuckles whispered back; good, he wasn't alone on that feeling. There just wasn't something right with this guy.

Knuckles and Jett moved back to face the rogue thief. Knuckles decided it was best that _he_ speak to the guy since there was a mutual level of respect, "Oh, and what do you mean we only have two good soldiers? I'm sure plenty of these men out here want their shot at kicking your ass now."

As he said that, Jet heard the sound of his lieutenants unsheathing their weapons.

"Let them," the chameleon grinned hellishly, "They couldn't stop me, with their combined talents! The only two men I've never come across to challenge my power were your commanders: Shadow and Reuben."

An icy, cold dread suddenly traveled through Knuckles' spine.'_Oh Shit.'_ He had put the pieces of the puzzle together and suddenly he knew exactly who this chameleon was. It had been awhile when a real, true foe had been able to concern Knuckles the echidna, but this chameleon…

"Endriago…" Knuckles whispered with awe.

Wide-eyed Jett snapped his head around to gawk at Knuckles, "_What!_"

The purple chameleon smiled; he was indeed Endriago. As Wave's face went pale, Storm turned to her. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her, hoping to rouse her into consciousness, "Uh Wave! What's wrong? Why are they worried about this guy?"

With a little sense back, Wave blinked before she slapped his hands away, "Moron, don't you know anything! That's Endriago! One of the best mercenaries in the history of Soleanna and also one of the brightest legends around. His name was Espio originally, but because of his fierce fighting abilities and his merciless ways, he was given the name Endriago, _Dragon."_

She narrowed her eyes continuing, "Endriago was one of the cruelest mercenaries who did any job, no matter how dirty, for any amount of gold. When Endriago started assassinating wealthy, upper class citizens, Soleanna decided it was high time that they sent forth their best warriors. The Emperor ordered that his Four Riders stop the cruel merc."

"And uh, they got him right?" Storm asked, eyes yellow eyes darting back and forth between Wave and that Endriago character.

Wave glanced away mutely not wanting to bring _that _story up; It was a horrifying surprise when the commanders couldn't stop him. Jet had been sent after him first and had failed fantastically, being put out of commission for several weeks. Next Commander Knuckles tried his chance. Although he didn't blunder as badly as the Green Rider, Knuckles still barely left with his life.

When Soleanna was losing hope about being able to stop Endriago's rampage, Commander Shadow stepped in. He had been gone a full month chasing after Endriago, and just as the courts and people of Soleanna feared the worst for their beloved commander, Shadow returned.

It was one of the most shocking, and most gossiped moments in Soleanna's history. No one expected it when the Commander returned. Beaten and bloody and with his armor chipped and torn, Shadow had looked as if death had washed over him.

He dragged Endriago into the throne room, ignoring the whispers of the court people. Armor coated with scratches and dirtied with soot and blood, Shadow dropped the mercenary before the emperor's throne before he passed out afterwards.

"Its such a shame," Endriago spoke, his voice arctic cold as his eyes were hard like chips of topaz, "I would have liked to have faced Commander Shadow again, now that the great Reuben has passed, he is the only man worthy of a challenge."

While Jet seethed, fists clenched and trembling, Knuckles continued, "Commander Reuben has been dead for at six years now. But my question is, why do you associate with La Diabla now?"

Endriago smirked, "Commander Knuckles, your intelligence doesn't surprise me. Even when you felt defeat at my hands some five years ago, from what I saw with your battle, your valor and strength are really unmatched. I just figured my talents could be used elsewhere, and La Diabla embodies everything I stand for."

Knuckles nodded his head, "You honor me and yet you defeated me…but there's no doubt that you are a strong warrior, Endriago. One of the finest I've seen."

"I respect you, Commander. However I am hesitant to shed blood this night," Espio glanced up at the golden globe in the night sky, "That would interfere with the bargain…"

Knuckles arched an eyebrow, "A bargain?"

"Yes…a pact…we have…its-"

Jet snarled, no longer able to take the damage to his pride any longer. How _dare_ that low-life come here and insult him! He complimented and praised every single commander except him! Even Knuckles! Why would he compliment Knuckles, he had been defeated too! And now both Knuckles and Espio stood, talking as if they were long lost friends? How impudent!

No longer would he stand by and quietly tolerate an insurrection of this magnitude! Once again, Shadow was placed on this ridiculous pedestal again! He, Jet the Hawk, would not be overlooked like a common soldier!

With his blood boiling, Jet yanked a sword off of the nearest solider and pointed it at Endriago. Teeth bared, Jet roared, "You bastard, if you want a challenge then here I am! This time I won't make mistakes and I will bring your head to the emperor!"

His two lieutenants gasped, torn between stepping in to help their commander or simply allowing him to act out his aggressions. Storm hesitantly drew his sword with a shaky hand as Wave narrowed her eyes and bit her lip, thoughts rushing through her mind.

"Jet? What the hell!" Knuckles barked, "Let me talk to him, we can work something out. There's no hostile intent here, there doesn't have to be meaningless death!"

"Commander," although Jett spoke to Knuckles, he kept his eyes upon Endriago, "I truly hope you aren't siding with this trash. This criminal needs to be brought to the courts and executed!"

Endriago laughed humorlessly, "Yeah? Then what's the point of a court? Sounds like I already have my sentence. But I'm afraid you can't take me in, or that would break my bargain with Commander Shadow."

Jett glared, "A what! A bargain? What the hell is the Red Rider thinking! Commanders never 'bargain' we do not negotiate with trash, low lives like you."

"Watch yourself young commander," Endriago grinned, his topaz eyes honed, "if you want to live to see another summer, then I'd suggest that you speak to me a bit better. Now then, if you do as Commander Shadow says, then we all go home happy and sleep in our nice, warm beds."

Jet glanced back, catching the eye of his lady lieutenant. For a second Wave jumped, not expecting such an intense stare, but then her quick mind came into focus and she realized he was seeking her assistance. She read its definition, _'Do I listen to this guy? What do you think? Yes or no?' _Wordlessly Wave nodded her head.

The green hawk glanced at Espio and his quick gesture with Wave didn't go unseen. The swallow was a little more than a pretty face, if this cocky hawk was willing to validate his actions with her, then toots must have been pretty sharp. Espio smirked, '_Ah so the lady warrior has some power…'_

"And what does this plan entail?"

"All you have to do is pretend," Espio raised an amused eyebrow, "this meeting never happened, you never saw me, and I never saw you."

Jet slowly lowered his weapon and although his roiling blood screamed and demanded that he defend his honor, the hawk decided to listen to reason. Apart of him, he had to admit, was a bit intrigued with the offer Shadow had given this mercenary, "…I'm listening."

"As long as you gentlemen stick to our agreement, then by the end of tonight," Maybe it was a trick of the light, but the commanders swore his eyes flashed, "you're going to have La Diabla."

In a blue flare of energy, the Renegadas collapsed to the ground. Polka hastily spat the tart sand from her mouth as the others rose to their feet. La Diabla glanced around, trying to locate where they were. It looked as if Hawkeye had managed to at least move them a few miles away from the ambush site.

With such a drain on his power, Hawkeye wouldn't be able to help them anymore. Pyra and Polka quickly went to pick up a fainted Hawkeye. Each girl threw one of his arms over their shoulder as they quickly bolstered his weight. Pyra glanced at him and snorted, "I've carried bundles of food heavier than he is. Let me hold him Polka, one of us needs to be free to be mobile in case something comes up."

Polka nodded her head, "Gotcha."

Bigboy came behind Pyra and grinned, "Uh, Miss Pyra, let me carry Hawk. That way both you and Polka can fight!"

Pyra smirked, "Sure, sounds like a plan."

The lavender cat stepped back and quickly began to glance around her surroundings. With a nod from their leader, the Renegadas began to move out. The night air was cool, making all the Renegadas glad for their cloaks and long scarves. With la Diabla in the front and Bigboy in the back, the Renegadas scuffled through the sand.

As they traveled through the sandy wasteland, the wind picked up and they soon found themselves shielding their faces and eyes in their crimson carves. The sandstorm grew nastier and more hellacious as they carried on in their travels.

As they traveled through the cold night, Polka kept time by the lunar orbit; when she could afford to glance up at the slice of moon in the sky. Every now and then she would gaze up, trying to see whether or not the moon had fallen further in the inky black sky. Pyra nudged her, "Don't do that, keeping track of time."

"Why not?" she huffed, "I'm bored and its keeping my mind off of my aching feet and this stupid sandstorm."

"It makes the voyage longer," Pyra glanced at her, her golden eyes splashed silver in the bright moon light, "Just be on your guard, Pinkie."

Polka smirked and nudged her back, "Yeah, well you be on your guard too, Purple-urple."

"Ha! Nowhere as good as Pinkie."

"…Aw shut up!"

The heavens seemed to be on their side as the turbulent winds died away, giving the Renegadas time to breathe. Things began to become even better for the rebels as they began to find familiar hallmarks in the sandy desert, and that meant they were getting closer to the Soleanna kingdom.

Judging from the past landmarks, La Diabla guessed that they would be just moments away from their underground entrance into Soleanna. The other Renegadas knew they were almost home free as well, La Diabla could feel the tense atmosphere evaporate as she heard the relief seeping through her comrades' voices.

The last traces of the desert had faded away and once again they were walking upon solid earth. Polka grinned; she had never been so happy to have dirt under her boots! After being in nothing both sand for the longest time, the earth felt right under her foot.

Polka made plans about washing away the filth of the desert as Bigboy happily babbled about being able to play with Charmy and Cream again. Just as they neared their secret entryway, a feeling, something uneasy crawled up La Diabla's spine. Aquamarine eyes narrowed as Polka caught her expression, "What is it, Di?"

"There's something wrong here," she whispered.

And just as they continued on their path, the Renegadas froze. Just a few feet from their underground entrance, another heavily armed, decked out imperial fleet stood. Their hard faces were like stone as the torch light danced and twinkled within their cold eyes.

Polka gasped; another army had been waiting for them! Only this time there was no fleeing, the unconscious body of Hawkeye was a reminder of that. The Renegadas readied themselves for battle yet again. Polka and Pyra fell into battle stances as Bigboy shifted Hawkeye's body into a more comfortable position, in case he needed to fight as well.

La Diabla herself could feel the roar of her Chaotic energy flowing through her veins; it was begging for her to unleash its terrible will upon these trespassers. The bat's sharp eyes caught the movement of the opposing soldiers.

They all slowly made a path for whoever was approaching their group of Renegadas. Out of the ranks of men, a black and red hedgehog stepped forward. Tall and strong, he wore imposing black armor that was gilded in a blood-red trim. His deep red cape trailed his steps as his sharp eyes honed in on them all. As the tall commander approached, Polka gulped just from the sight of him.

Something about this Commander said that he took no prisoners. Once he was several feet in front of them, he stopped walking as he prepared to speak. His men stood behind him, hands curled tightly upon their weapons, awaiting just the slightest signal if their commander needed them.

"I am Commander Shadow," his calm, deep smooth voice filled the space between them easily, dancing upon their ears pleasantly like black satin, "I have a royal decree here," The dark hedgehog pulled out a sealed envelope with a wax seal that was unmistakably the insignia of the Soleanna royal family, "I have an order to bring back La Diabla and her alone. Unnecessary bloodshed won't have to follow if you simply comply to a demand."

"So this is the great Commander Shadow?" Pyra didn't bother to hide the flattering edge to her voice as she gauged him.

Right along with her, Polka was doing the exact same thing, except the pink-hedgehog was more so ogling his strong frame. Maybe if the situation wasn't so severe and if the commander wasn't after their asses, maybe Pyra would have went out of her way to flirt with this one. The rumors were right, he was pretty darn cute.

_'Ooh, he's handsome!' _Polka's gleeful voice chirped; with Hawkeye fainted, the mental connection was nearly nonexistent, like a thin thread that was barely there.

'_Down girl,' _La Diabla replied with little humor, _'This guy's after my head, remember?'_

"Well if you knew us," Pyra flickered her hair back in a girlish fashion, "You would know that admitting defeat isn't a choice for us."

The commander smirked, not in a condescending manner, but more so amused, "Yes. However there is a difference between defeat and knowing when you are beaten. This is one of those times you must acknowledge that."

"And why should La Diabla turn herself over to you?" the white bat's voice was low.

For a moment when their eyes met in a clash of red and blue, the commander was silent. He looked as if he was gauging her and yet La Diabla showed no sign of backing down or relenting. After some time the Commander replied, "Because I have studied how your regime works. For weeks I have learned about how you operate, how you do not kill for pleasure but for necessity. I can honor a warrior who does that, so I extend the favor to you."

As La Diabla stared into his eyes, call it intuition, but somehow she sensed that he knew. He knew she was La Diabla. He was simply observing, waiting to see how long she would try to play out the tired charade before he grew impatient with it. But then again Commander Shadow was rumored to have been ingenious, possessing an intelligence that was rare.

A sweet little titter rose from Polka. With a face that looked as pure as an angel and a smile that looked as if she could do no wrong, Polka swept a strand of her rose bangs out of her face; it was a habit of hers before she prepared to fight. Men would mistake her habit as a signal of coyness, an error that would cost them greatly.

"Commander," her light voice chimed like bells, "If you think that just because we're female that you can pull a fast one on us, you're dead wrong."

The commander chuckled, "Oh no, if anything that would make you more dangerous I assume. How often do I get to meet lady bandits?"

The way he stressed lady bandits didn't go unnoticed by the Renegadas; they all heard and were surprised to find a flattering edge in his voice as if he was impressed with their status as female bandits which was rare in itself. Most men detested the idea of a woman as anything but a lady, or a mother.

"If you want La Diabla," Pyra smirked, "You're going to have to pry it out of our cold, dead bodies. And the last time I checked the dead do not speak."

"We won't go without a fight," Bigboy piped up.

With that Polka's fingers suddenly disappeared under her cloak and they reappeared once again armed with knives and other types of weapons the commander couldn't identify. Even in the face of danger her young, child-like face was still angelic, although her eyes were completely iced over.

Eyes narrowed, Pyra's eyes shone a flash of orange for a second meanwhile the white bat herself had made no move at all. The commander studied them all for a moment before he turned to la Diabla, "No blood would be shed here today if you comply with the royal decree. Do not sentence your comrades to death here tonight."

Deep red eyes bore into hers. He had addressed that statement to _her_. The commander knew she was the one he had come here for.

But how?

_'He knows…' _Pyra mused quietly.

_'What!' _Polka choked out.

'_I thought so too,' _La Diabla answered, _'I can't explain how…but he just does…'_

_'Yeah, he's been…hinting at it,' _for such a dire situation, Pyra sounded amused, _'Wow its true what they say about this guy. He IS pretty damn smart.'_

_'Is he a mind reader?' _Bigboy wondered to himself.

_'What do we do?' _Polka asked unsurely, _'Do we fight here?'_

_'Do we die here, is what you mean,' _Pyra responded smartly_, 'If we try to take on all these men, maybe we'll be able to wipe out a portion of them, but not all of them. Regardless of what decision we make today, they're going to leave with La Diabla, the only difference is if Amy, Big, and I leave with our lives…'_

_'And what about Silver?' _Bigboy thought, his shoulder aching from his unconscious friend's weight, _'He can't fight for himself.'_

_'You're right,' _La Diabla thought grimly, _'You're absolutely right, Blaze.'_

_'Rouge no!' _Polka cried.

_'Miss Rouge?' _Bigboy asked, unsure of what she meant.

But she, La Diabla, would hear nothing else. Behind her, Polka's big green eyes bore into the back of her, "And if La Diabla is turned in, the rest of the Renegadas go free? No strings attached?" She asked the tall commander.

"The other commanders wouldn't be so lenient but-" again that devilish smirk of his appeared, "I would be willing to compensate for that. It is she and she alone I am after."

_'Rouge!' _Polka tried again, _'Don't do this! I'm willing to die here for our cause!'_

_'But I'm not going to let you,' _she replied back smoothly.

"A duel."

"Pardon?" the commander asked.

"A duel. If you win, La Diabla will come with you, but if you lose, you leave empty handed and that will be the end of that."

For a second the commander looked as if he was chewing over his words. The soliders watched their command quietly, their eyes the only sign of their curiosity. Then she saw the moment when the commander's eyes glowed from the prospect of a tough challenge, "Duel accepted."

The commander turned to his men behind him, "All of you," his smooth voice carried easily, "Go find the other commanders and tell them that I shall be with them shortly. You know their location, now leave. Tell Commander Knuckles of my whereabouts."

Without the slightest hesitation, the soldiers bowed to their superior and left. Pyra raised an eyebrow; wow, talk about some major respect! Commander Shadow must have trained them like hell or he must be one guy that you just didn't want to piss off!

"You're alone?" Polka asked unsure of his actions.

"Only I should know of La Diabla's identity," Shadow replied, again his eyes shifted onto Rouge, "it benefits you little to have the gossiping soldiers blowing your meticulous cover. I applaud you for your astounding work."

Suddenly Rouge stepped forward, a smirk on her face, "Then it is I who will challenge you."

Shadow laughed, "Knew it."

"How?" she asked, honestly perplexed.

The Commander laughed, "Hmm. I can't tell you that. Not now anyhow. But since I know that you're who you say you are, I would like to openly admit that you've run a tightly operated organization."

"Thanks, commander." Rouge smirked, "But you're going to wish you hadn't picked this fight," and with that line Rouge raised her fists as they glowed a brilliant red and her eyes flamed, _"La Diabla strikes_."

The Commander pulled out his sword, which Polka noticed was black-bladed. She had heard of the legend knowing that the Commander Shadow was the only creature that carried a black-bladed sword. Supposedly it was black from the blood of his fallen prey he had slain. Smirking, the dark hedgehog pointed the tip at her, accepting her challenge, "Well then come, at your ready."

"..The ebon blade," Pyra whispered to herself as Polka tried to get a better look at the legendary sword.

With a furious cry she disappeared in a blur of red light, simply to materialize right in front of him. The commander ducked and dodged her lightning fast kicks and punches as he moved backwards, every now and then using his weapon to parry and block her attacks.

They continued this dance, Rouge striking and Shadow defending as they weaved intricate patterns into the sandy floor. The commander smiled, enjoying his battle with this woman. She was like some sort of deity, an angel who had a rare strength with the likes he had never seen before.

Her small, feminine fists had the strength to parry and counter his blade alone. Her beautiful face was austere as her eyes blazed a hellish shade of scarlet. Something about this woman made him think of a fallen angel, a dark goddess. He had never seen a woman with the likes of her.

The remaining Renegadas watched silently, their eyes following every move, every jab, parry, strike and block that their leader made. This battle didn't look as if it had any current leader, it just looked like both parties were exchanging blows, testing each other's strengths.

"You're pretty good," she grunted, "First non-Chaotic user who wasn't blow away. I have to admit that you're strong, commander."

Shadow smirked, habit taking over as he flipped the sword within his grasp.

"However," Rouge's red eyes shone with a strong intensity, "You can't handle the true strength of La Diabla."

In a blossom of crimson light, Rouge disappeared. Shadow blinked, then cursed when he realized she had warped right behind him. A furious cry ripped from Rouge's throat as she slammed her glowing fist into his chest. Shadow gasped silently as she drove her fist through, crunching through his armor like glass.

The commander stumbled away from her, stunned at such as strength. Polka and Bigboy cheered at the obvious sign of success their leader was having, but La Diabla wasn't done yet. Eyes narrowed and teeth bared, Rouge smashed a glowing fist into the earth, making it shatter under her power, "Black Wave!"

The only sign of surprise the commander let show on his face were the slight widening of his eyes. A hairline fissure traveled from Rouge's fist and raced across the terrain until the earth cracked and ripped underneath his feet.

The ground under the commander gave out as slabs out earth fell out from under his feet. The great commander tried to hold unto anything to keep himself from falling, but in the end the Renegadas saw the commander plummet.

Tense silence passed, as they all waited for the great commander to rise again, but when he did not rise up again Rouge released a sigh as the other cheered. Polka and Bigboy danced together happily as Pyra sighed, wiped the sweat from her face.

Polka danced happily, "Yeah you did Boss lady! You beat_ the_ Commander Shadow! No one can stand up to your strength! Go Di! Go Di! Woo!"

"For a moment there, I was starting to get worried," Pyra joked as a smirk cracked upon her lips.

"Diabla did it! I knew you would!" Bigboy sang happily as he spun Polka around.

Just as she was about to join her teammates in the festive mood, Rouge froze. She stiffened as a sudden prick of energy washed over her body;_ no it couldn't be_…She spun around to watch as the commander lifted himself effortlessly from the ditch. He chuckled to himself as he swept off the crumbs of rock from his armor.

A gaping hole in his armor remained as his plush cape was a torn, probably from his fall but Shadow looked undaunted. In fact if anything he looked a bit pleased with what she had done to him. Shadow traced her line of vision and glanced at the crater in his armor.

He touched the hole and chuckled, still studying the unsightly damage she had done to his armor, "Hmm, let's see now, a fist-sized hole, and a tattered cape. You managed to dirty me up a bit, Lady Devil."

The commander slowly brought his gaze to meet hers. His eyes smoldered with an unspoken excitement, of untold challenge. Rouge took a step back; there was something about this commander she should be very worried about. She had used her full strength on him, and yet he returned relatively _unscathed_. Those last attacks she used were meant to have finished him.

"…How could this be!" she whispered as Big boy gulped.

"M-Monster!" Polka cried, "How could he have survived that?"

"What the hell is he!" Pyra hissed, eyes narrowed.

"Well then _Diabla_," the way her name rolled off his tongue made her shudder, "It seems that playtime is over."

Smirking, the commander discarded his heavy sword, tossing it without care over his shoulder. He readjusted his ready stance, only this time looking ready for hand-to-hand combat. The commander grinned, "Apparently, I'll have to use _my_ full strength on you."

A blare of light red broke forth from his being, covering all surfaces in no time flat. A cry from Polka broke out as Rouge gasped, staggering backwards at the sheer intensity of his power. The air alone felt ten times heavier and breathing was a labored effort.

Rouge gasped as she watched her fellow Renegadas drop like flies. The magnitude of his power was too much for them as both Bigboy and Polka collapsed to the floor. Flat on his belly, Bigboy squeezed his eyes closed and grimaced as Polka released a silent scream, her mouth gaping for air as tears leaked from her eyes.

With a grunt, Pyra dropped to a knee, trying to keep her hold on her fainted comrade. She panted, sweat rolling down her face at the strength of the commander's energy. Barely managing to keep an eye open, she squinted at Rouge, "Damn it. Should…have…seen this…coming. He…He's a Chaotic…user too…"

La Diabla stared on in a wide-eyed horror as the commander grinned hellaciously. It was no contest that his power overshadowed hers by at least hundredfold. Everything was saturated with his power; the air, the ground, it even violently washed over her, causing her body to tremble. It was so dense in the air, that she probably could taste it!

When she looked at him she gasped, as she saw his eyes didn't glow like hers, Hawkeye's or Pyra, but his eyes were completely white, blank. She had never met a creature, who had strength, a power stronger than hers. She could only stare on in fascination and horror as her body grew weaker as the seconds passed by.

'_Just standing in his power…its sapping my strength…' _

_'…He's st…ro…ng…' _Polka's tired voice panted out, '_I….can't…ev…en…open…my eyes…'_

_'Who the hell is this guy!' _Pyra thought with an edge of irritation, although La Diabla could sense her underlying fear; this guy had them beat.

"Surrender," the cool, coaxing tone of the commander wafted over all of the chaos.

Rouge spun from her fallen comrades and turned to face him. With his soulless eyes, it was hard to tell who he was looking at, but she was pretty sure he was staring directly at her. With her waning strength, with her last energy she would let him know exactly what she thought of his demands.

"Take your rules," La Diabla narrowed her eyes, "_And go straight to hell with them_!"

Somehow, from the pit of her being, she managed to call enough strength into her body. Her hands glowed, a weak hum of red and she charged at him. As she treaded towards him, the heat alone from his Chaotic energy scolded her skin. She cried out in pain as she continued to move, pushing on towards him as her body felt aflame.

Perspiration dripped down her head as the heat started to cook and nibble away at her robes. She paused when she was nearly face to face with the commander who made no move, as if simply testing her will, her determination. Her face was screwed up from the pain and her limbs felt like jelly, ready to give at a moments notice.

Her strength was being zapped as she tried to raise a glowing fist to strike him. The commander didn't even move as her trembling, shaking fist was inches away from his face. Teeth gritted and eyes narrowed she roared out in both frustration and agony, "_Damn you!"_

And with that she collapsed to her knees as her form slumped against the warm face of his armor. For a moment the smell of pine and clean sweat met her nostrils before she utterly blanked out, the connection to her fellow Renegadas long gone.

"Impressive Lady devil." The deep purr was the last thing she heard, and then it was all black.

_The End of Book I_

Read and Review!


End file.
